Pirates of the Akatsuki
by AkumaNoDanna
Summary: SasoDei. This story will take you back to the 17th century, a golden period for the royal navy of the Great Britain and piracy. While others bring back gold and riches to the ship, Sasori brings a blond boy. Not all treasure is silver and gold. AU
1. Chapter 1

_Do you know the feeling of just minding your own business, when suddenly BANG, a thought hits you like a wave and you can't get it out of your head? Happened to me while I was watching a movie called Blackbeard. I'm a huge fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, and once the thought had hit me, I was like "Why the eff didn't I think of it before?". _

_I think the idea is kind of original (a nice change from 3 fics of high schools lol), since I haven't spotted a story like this on ff before. Ofc, I could be wrong. _

_The action takes place in the early 17th century (ya know, the time without computers and mobile phones?)._

_There will probably be several crossovers from other anime/manga, just because I on ff, I don't like working with OCs that much. _

_Enjoy._

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><p><strong>Pirates of the Akatsuki<strong>

_**Chapter 1**_

A loud knock on Deidara's compartment door made him jump and look away from the book he'd been reading. With a frown, he closed the book, leaving his thumb between the pages as a bookmark. On the one-colored brown cover, gothic calligraphy letters read _History __of __the __Seas._

"Come in!" he called. "It is open!"

A tall man in an unusually simple black tux stepped in, bowing as soon as the blond young male came into view.

"Dinner has been served, _young_ _sir. _Madam and Esquire have requested for you to join them in the dining room," the family butler reported, looking at the tiger skin rug lying on the floor to not meet his superior's eyes. Servants of the Iwaga family had always been known for their faultless manners, just like the family had always been known for its impeccable reputation.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I shall be there in a moment."

Sebastian bowed again and left the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

Deidara sighed and took a leather bookmark from the wooden table. He set it to replace his thumb between the pages and got up from his seat to place the book back in the bookshelf. A quick glance at his golden fob watch he'd fished out of his pocket, told him it was 2 past 5 pm. That had been unnecessary. Dinners served for his family were always so punctual, he'd rather believe his watch was lying than that the servants had been late. And yet, he couldn't help, but check every time.

He went out of the door and locked it. Before walking down to the dining room, he paused to look out of the window. All he could see was one endless ocean, with no birds, thus meaning no land close either. Yes, he was on a ship – his family owned one. Or rather his adopted family, but no one talked about that small little detail. It had taken him eleven years to find out he'd been adopted and hardly anyone outside the family knew about it.

One couldn't tell the difference by just looking either. Madam Iwaga had long blonde hair that she always wore in a bun, and fair snow-color skin, even without the powder. Esquire Iwaga had brown hair, but it was always hidden under a big curly grey wig, such a modern and glamorous fashion item in the 17th century. Esquire had blue eyes, their color similar to Deidara's, even though his facial features were nothing like the boy's.

Still, who would've suspected? The reason Deidara had been adopted, was that his mother was a poor maid in another household, too poor to be able to feed her child and his father had been a royal navy seaman, who'd died in a shipwreck, leaving his 3 months old son in the child's mother's care, who couldn't take care of him. At least that was what Deidara'd been told, he didn't know whether to believe it or not.

The Iwaga family, however, had a daughter, who was 1 year older than Deidara. Seeing as madam was unable to give birth to more children, they needed a son, who'd be able to take over family business, once his parents have deceased. Deidara's mother had served a household doing business with the Iwaga family, and that's how, by a simple coincidence, Madam had seen the little boy, about to starve to death. She'd noticed the few similar features he'd had with her and her husband, and had realized the usefulness in them.

Giving money in exchange for the boy to his mother, Madam Iwaga had left the mansion, with the boy, dressed in rags, in her arms, and clear intentions to shower the boy with gold and riches once they got home. And that's how it had been, Deidara had grown up in the household of courtiers, living in luxury he'd never thought much of and served by servants he liked to think of as friends.

If he'd had it his way, all the obnoxious upper-class people, wearing corsets, make-up and wigs to hide their true nature and ugliness, would've been the ones to bow before him, leaving the down-a-few-classes people, including maids and butlers, with no money for cosmetics and only their natural beauty to rely on, standing up beside him as equals. These kinds of thoughts he had, were all kept well hidden in his head, not allowed to escape his mouth.

He would've loved to escape this whole glamorous life once and for all, but one thing held him back – the sea. With this family, he got to sail the sea 4 days a week, and that was what convinced him to stay. He loved the sea – it was the beauty of how something, like a stone or a sand castle, could exist, but once touched by the sea, a rock would drown and there would be nothing left of a sand castle.

This was what encouraged him to put up with all the make-up and other nonsense – even though he always declined wigs and powder, he would agree to wear some dark eye-shadow. It was a compromise between him and his parents – he didn't like make-up, but could tolerate dark colors, his parents wanted him to wear make-up (they'd always told him, with a supercilious look in their eyes, that no make-up was for maids and servants), but didn't like the dark colors that much. Still, they allowed it, since his father said it made him look strict and resolute, like a general, and that those were two very important qualities for their heir.

And that's where and how he stood now – 19-years old, standing in a ship, feeling as close to the sea as possible, wearing ridiculously exquisite clothes, including white knee socks that itched the hell out of him, and being served by people he looked at as equals. That was the price he had to pay, to be close to something he considered art and more important than life itself.

Sighing, he left the window and knocked on the door, before entering the dining room.

"Hello mother, father," he said, sitting down at the end of the table that could've seated 10 people. "I apologize for the wait."

"We will be arriving in the harbor in 2 days, son," Esquire Iwaga said in a deep and strict voice, speaking like he was talking in front of an army.

Deidara nodded quietly, cutting himself some chicken, while a servant filled his glass with red wine. If his parents hadn't been there, he would've grabbed the bottle from the man and filled the glass himself, or, better yet, let the liquid flow down into his mouth right from the bottle. Being treated like this, made him feel like a baby.

Deidara noticed his mother open her mouth to say something, but she was forced to swallow her words, when a crew member from the deck, dashed into the room, all color drained from his face.

Father slammed his hand against the table, making everyone, including the dishes on the table, jump. "What is the meaning of this, sailor?"

The poor man looked so scared, it took everything he had to get out the words. "…attacked. We're being… Attacked… By corsairs!"

That was when Deidara heard the screaming and yelling from the deck above them. The sound of shell guns being fired reached them as the ship began to shake, like there'd been an earthquake. It took a moment for the truth to sink into the aristocrats sitting in the luxurious room.

What do you mean corsairs? Corsairs as in pirates? Pirates as in _danger_? Danger as in a reason our dinner has to be interrupted?

Deidara was quicker than that. Leaving his family, scratch that, _adopted _family at the God's mercy, he dashed out of the room.

Back at his room, there was a door, a secret passage, to a room hardly anyone but him knew about, and those who did, tended to forget it existed. The room had a window, big enough for a thin person to fit through, and once through it, one would land on a wooden lifeboat.

Deidara was just about to open the window, when someone grabbed him from behind and swirled him around. The man, dressed in rags, had a sword in one hand and Deidara's hand in the other. His face… _man_, he was ugly.

A wide grin appeared on his face when he saw that the boy was completely defenseless.

"Um, parley?" Deidara said in a guessing voice, raising the palm of his free hand as sign of him surrendering.

The grin on the pirate's face grew even wider and it occurred to Deidara that he didn't even know, if they could understand English. The man dragged him out of the room, right up the stairs and onto the deck, where all hell was loose.

The sailors of the royal navy, who'd been navigating the ship, were fighting the raiders, many of them already lying on the ground dead in huge blood pools. The classy ship deck had turned into a bloody battlefield and soon-to-be graveyard. From the corner of his eye, Deidara saw a sword being put through his father's stomach, the blood ruining his moments ago perfect white blouse.

Another cannon fire made the ship shake. Deidara eyed the other ship right next to theirs. A lot less luxurious than theirs, but better in terms of attack. There was a threatening Jolly Roger waving at the main mast.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to observe the piracy masterpiece for long, as he was pulled in a direction he wasn't sure of. Somehow, the whole situation seemed odd. Not because they were being attacked by pirates, rather for he wasn't sure he was sharing the madness going on in everybody else's minds. The whole fight seemed to be more like a theater act he was walking through, than a real life situation. Somehow, he seemed almost immune to the chaos going on.

The man was dragging him right to the center of the chaos. Deidara felt something hit his eye, making him automatically cover it with his hand. Now that hurt and brought him back to reality. Slowly, the voices around him began to gain volume and the screaming soon threatened to cut his head in two or three.

With his open eye, he saw fire behind the windows of his father's office. The glass broke, men jumping out of it. A thunder storm couldn't have demolished the ship more than these men did. With potato-sack-like bags, they carried out things of value, escaping to their own ship with them.

Deidara winced, proving he wasn't completely free of fear, when he felt the grip around his arm tighten and then let go. The man holding him had been shot. Surprisingly, the trigger had been pulled by his own man, not one of the British seamen.

The redheaded man with the pistol was now in front of him, and Deidara was ready to feel the gun barrel touch his forehead and send a bullet through his head. Well, as ready as anyone can be for their own death. To his surprise, it didn't happen.

The man had time to smirk in the middle of the chaos, before grabbing Deidara's hand and bolting towards the ship's edge.

"Hold your breath," he said, before jumping overboard, pulling the blond along with him.

Instinctively, Deidara took his advice and managed to do it before they hit the water. Deidara felt the man let go of him under water and for a moment, Deidara thought he was a goner. He opened his eyes, but couldn't make out much under there. It was hard to tell, which way was up. The only thing he knew was that he had to get back up quickly, he was already running short on oxygen.

Struggling to move his hands and legs, he saw light shining from above. Praying it was the rays of sun, not the light on the other side of the tunnel, he swam towards it. He managed to make it above sea level, greeting oxygen with gasping.

A cask falling towards him, made him go under again, but at least this time, he knew which way was up. The next time his head was above water, he saw that he was just between the two ships. Down there, they seemed a lot bigger than they had seemed when he'd been on one of them.

He saw a window in the enemy ship's hull open and a rope ladder long enough to reach the water level, being tossed out of it. _It__'__s __not __like __I __have __a __choice, __if __I __want __to __live_, he reasoned and swam towards it, with some difficulties brought on by the rough sea.

Even though the whole struggling in the water had completely worn him out, he managed to find the energy in himself to climb the ladder up to the window. Once he reached it, a pair of hands reached out and pulled him in.

Then there was only darkness.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Having thought it over and over, I decided that I couldn't wait till I finished ten chapters and wanted to start updating now. Hopefully I will manage to continue like this, with smaller intervals._

_Now, since I'm quite a stranger to the way of speech they used a few hundred years ago, that part was a little difficult. I visited tons of 'pirate slang' websites, and the result that you can now read is a mixture of phrases from those sites, my imagination and the English we speak on daily basis in 21th century. It would be impossible and pointless for me to try to write in old English, for you would probably have difficulties reading it as well._

_I don't know what's it like to read the pirate slang as a native English speaker, but for me, a non-native, it sounds like Chinese. So, just in case, I added translation here and there. If there's anything you'd like to know or didn't understand, feel free to ask._

_And I repeat, I am very aware of the language used here being way too modern. Sorry._

_I hope you enjoy._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

The pain of a thousand flaming nails being hammered into the back of his head woke Deidara up. He opened his eyes, but had to cover his left one with his hand instantly. It hurt. Deidara's hand was soon covered with the warm blood coming from his eye.

"God damn it," he muttered, sitting up slowly. His throat was sore and in flames, possibly from the salty sea water. His entire body felt numb, except his head, which was killing him non-fatally. Deidara felt someone take his left hand and press a wet cloth against his bleeding eye. He opened his other, still functioning, eye and saw the same redheaded man with pale skin and dark eyes in front of him.

The blond knew it wouldn't be wise to blurt out his first reaction, but that thought reached him after his mouth had already opened. "Pirate," he whispered timidly, feeling stupid afterwards. Hadn't it been dark, the redheaded man would've been able to see the blush tint the blond's cheeks pink.

The man chuckled, turning the cloth's clean side against the bleeding spot. "How horrifying the thought must be."

Deidara didn't answer. His lips remained together, even though he couldn't help but wince a little from time to time as the man cleaned his wound. Deidara found himself savoring each moment the man's skin touched against his and he felt his face heating up once he realized this. Shouldn't he have been worried about what was going to happen to him instead?

The man replaced his own hand with Deidara's to hold the cloth against the eye and pulled the blond up. He led him out of the dark wooden chamber and up a ladder to the deck of the ship. Deidara stumbled along, squinting his right eye when he saw the sun.

There were around twenty people on board, a few of them who Deidara recognized. Unfortunately, the ones he knew were all tied up and covered in blood. The deck was wide, about ten people clustered together by the edge, while the others were busying themselves elsewhere, scattered about.

The redhead's grip tightened around Deidara's wrist as he pulled him farther away from the plank, where one of the prisoners was standing. Deidara glanced at him. He looked pale and sweaty and opened his mouth to beg, but took instinctively a step backwards, when one of the pirates did a stabbing motion with his sword towards him. This resulted in him falling into the sea, his hands tied together behind his back.

Deidara winced, when he heard the splash and scream, but couldn't turn away, when he saw his step-mother, wearing only her underdress, being the next one forced to jump. Their eyes met for a second and Deidara saw fear and loss in hers, right before she was shot and fell into the sea, following the last fellow. The event was backed up by a few cheers and laughs.

Paling, Deidara forced his eyes to look away from the plank and shift to the redhead in front of him. "Am I next?" he asked, not a note of fear in his voice. Just a simple question waiting for an answer. Unlike his voice, though, his hands shaking.

The redhead didn't response as they came to a halt in the centre of the deck. His eyes locked with another man's, who was, in fact, carelessly pointing his gun at Deidara. Deidara took a step back, but wasn't allowed to go any farther by the redhead holding his hand.

"Why ye hoverin' over th' shark bait? Over board we go with ye, the fish're hungry."

The blond felt a shiver run down his spine. He was going to get shoved into the water, he knew. Seeing as all the escape routes were blocked, he moved behind the redhead who put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"_Me, _dog," the redhead hissed at his blue-haired matey, who looked a lot like a shark himself in the blond's opinion, although he would've never said it. The man scared him.

"Poxy swag ye brought there, lassie. Ye hungry for meeting the rope's end?" (_A/N: Poxy swag – diseased loot. Rope's end – a punishment, where the person gets whipped and beaten.) _

Although Deidara didn't get the meaning of all the words the man said, he got the feeling that the man was rebuking the redhead. He looked older than him, for one, the dirt smeared over his face and clothes adding a few extra years to his age. The redhead looked around 25, when the shark-monster couldn't have been younger than 37.

"I've given the booty over to the Cap'n already." (_A/N: Booty – __The treasures and other values plundered from the victim ships.__) _The redhead's eyes had narrowed and his position was unmistakably defensive as he took a step to the side to cover the blond completely. The blue-haired man's face showed disgust as he moved back, forming a circle around the two along with a few other interested spectators, who'd caught sight of the unfamiliar blond on board.

Deidara looked at them as they watched him like an extinct animal or, in some cases, lunch. They were all dressed in dirty rags, suitable for people who were used to eating with hands as opposed to forks and knives. The blond would've maybe even enjoyed the company, had he not been sure they were going to kill him soon.

The shark-man looked like he was about to say something, when a loud a yell caused the circle to fall apart. "SASORI!" Deidara, along with the others, glanced towards the poop deck, where the voice had come from. (_A/N: Ahem, poop deck - __The highest deck at the aft end of a large ship.)_

A bulky man with long messy black hair falling down his shoulders walked towards them. His clothes were, as opposed to everyone else's on the deck, made of velvet, the coat covering him in a rich crimson color. His tri-cornered hat was decorated with an exotic red feather. An expensive satin and leather sash diagonally decorated the front of his coat and a sash was tied around his waist.

His thigh-high boots were black, making a clicking sound as he treaded across the desk, his hand demonstratively on the hilt of his sword. Deidara took a guess that the action was to remind everyone that he'd chop anyone's head off who dared to disobey him.

The sailors moved out of his way to let him through, Deidara circling around the redhead again to shield himself from the captain of the pirates. The redhead didn't obstruct and let go of his hand. He turned around, his back on the blond, facing the captain who had come to a stop in front of him.

"What is yer doing with this lubber?" the black-haired man, who Deidara assumed to be the captain, demanded. (A/N: _Lubber – someone who does not go to sea, but stays on land. A land lover.) _

The redheaded man, apparently called Sasori, removed his hand from the hilt, but didn't move away from the blond. He kept his pose straight as he answered in a steady voice, "I will keep him."

To Deidara it sounded like he was talking about a stray cat or dog he'd brought home with him. He didn't mind, though, as long as it kept him alive. Gingerly, he looked up from the ground he'd forgotten his gaze on to the captain's face. Despite the fear he felt inside, there was also curiosity mixed in with that emotion.

Shock twisted his stomach when he saw that the captain was glaring in his direction, but it faded away when he realized he'd been wrong – the captain was staring at Sasori. His deep blood-colored eyes looked cold and ruthless, Deidara wincing at the mere sight of them.

"Y'addled, bucko?" a shout came from among the seamen. "He's a Jack Tar! Y'want us all at the execution dock?" (A/N: Addled- insane. Bucko – friend. Jack Tar – common name for the sailors of the Royal Navy. Execution dock – a place for the pirate hanging.)

There were a few agreeing shouts, the men shouting various phrases incomprehensible to Deidara. However, there was one he understood, "No quarter". (A/N: No quarter – command that no one on the enemy ship can be left alive.) A shiver ran down his spine.

Sasori made a growling sound and drew out his sword, taking a step towards the first one to argue and pointing it towards him. Before the metal could touch his neck, the threatened man responded by pulling out his sword as well, crossing blades with Sasori.

"There's no quarter! This is loot, yar addle brained saw bone!" Sasori shouted. With a quick motion, he pulled out a gun from the holster and pressed the muzzle against the other man's forehead. "And it's _mine."_

Deidara watched in paralyzing fear as his only shield from death moved away from him, leaving him standing there in the open. Fortunately, he noted, most of the gazes where on Sasori and the other man, drawing attention away from him.

He took a quick look around, seeing that he was the only one alive from the enemy crew. His mother's torn dress was still laying on the ground. There were no birds in the light sky, meaning they were probably quite far from the land. He almost smiled at the thought.

"Pipe down!" The skipper's shout brought Deidara's attention to the current situation, seeing as the captain had brought out his own gun as well. "Or I'll introduce you swags to the sharks."

That threat got to them. Slowly, still holding eye contact with the other man, Sasori withdrew his weapons and stepped back to his earlier place in front of Deidara. His gaze settled on the captain, waiting for him to announce his decision. Even though he kept up a naturally calm appearance, Deidara could see the fire burning inside his eyes.

The captain was silent for a moment. He then gestured towards the blond with his gun, speaking to Sasori and to him alone. "You want to keep this rat, you take care of him. Food and drink for him at your own cost. Keep him out of the way, or he's over the board."

Sasori gave a curt nod, tucking his pistol away in the holster. The captain turned to speak to the crowd, "Now me buckos, no biting the bone, y'hear me? The one who does will be the cannon ammunition for the next trade." (A/N: 'Don't bite the bone' – Captain refers to Deidara as the bone, meaning that he is to be caused no harm.)

Deidara gazed at the captain in daze, when he was pulled harshly away from the spot. Rushing barefoot across the desk, he was dragged by Sasori towards the quarter deck. The redhead shoved the door on the left side open and guided Deidara down the narrow staircase.

It was dark at first, but as they walked lower and lower, rays of light came into view, shining around a corner. The corridor they entered was a lot wider than the staircase had been, oil lamps brightening the way from start to the end. Sasori took him down the hallway to a door close to the other end. Pushing it open, he shoved the blond in, following him inside and closing up after.

Deidara overviewed the room. It was about two thirds the size of his former compartment, and a lot less luxurious. There was one single bed standing in the farthest corner of the room and a table a feet from it, with two wooden chairs. Lining the walls horizontally were about a dozen lighted oil lamps. Taking everything in, Deidara understood that this place was meant for sleep and sleep only. The rest of the time was probably spent on the deck, raiding or on the land.

Sasori crossed the room to an unlocked metal casket. He opened it, pulling out a few pieces of cloth and tossing them to the blond. Deidara caught them unwarily, gazing at the redhead questioningly. Sasori nodded towards them.

"Put them on," Sasori ordered, turning around and shutting the casket. Deidara gazed at them awkwardly, separating the two cloths from each other to understand what exactly they were. Made of linen, a gray-beige loose shirt with a V-neck and a pair of breeches. He glanced back at Sasori, who had lain down on the bed. Catching him gazing at him, Sasori said, "Smartly, now. Put them on."

Deidara looked back at the cloth, blushing slightly at the thought of having to strip naked in front of him. He didn't lag, though, he wasn't stupid. He was well aware of his life being on line here.

Making it as quick as possible, he took off the ruined blouse and trousers, slipping into the new – new for him, at least – clothes. Truth be told, they were a lot more comfortable than the ones provided by his step-parents.

As he ripped off the knee-socks he'd always loathed, Sasori threw a red sash at him. Deidara took it, gazing at it cluelessly for a moment. How was he supposed to wear it? Chancing a quick look at the redhead for a hint, he followed his example, tying it around his waist.

He felt the redhead grabbing his chin and yanking it upward. "Stay still," Sasori muttered, Deidara's face expressing fear as he thought the redhead was about to attack him. Sasori didn't say anything as he brushed the bang out of his way, taking an examining look at the blond's damaged eye.

It was not pretty, he deemed, and wouldn't be of use anymore. Taking the eye patch he'd found in the casket, he covered the blond's eye with it, patting his bang in place again so that none of it would show.

He took a step back as if to overview his work, cocking his head to one side. Deidara stayed still the whole time, letting Sasori's eyes run over him. The redhead sighed and moved closer again, grabbing the blond hair. He didn't yank it harshly, only let it slide through his fingers and fall down on Deidara's shoulder again.

"This should go, it might get in the way," he said, firstly gazing at the hair and then at the blond. Deidara's eyes went wide, fists clenching, and he shook his head rapidly. Sasori raised his eyebrows at definite refusal, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No?" he inquired, then gave a shrug. "Suit yourself, brat." He turned around, pacing across the room and sitting down on one of the chairs, his legs wide apart. Lower class habit, Deidara nodded then shook the thought away. He was about to fall into a class lower than a rat's, he shouldn't be judging things like this. Finding it better to stay still without permission to move at the moment, he stayed where he was, waiting for the redhead to say something.

"I'm not sure how much of it you understood up there; I know our way of speech can get confusing for the native British. For that, I'm going to retell it to you and add some few extra information as a gift to help you stay alive here."

Deidara wasn't about to explain that he'd understood quite a bit of what they'd been talking. He merely nodded, waiting for the redhead to continue.

He did. "On this ship, there are no passengers. No one trusts their mateys here, let alone a _British boy." _Sasori made a pause, his strict eyes on Deidara, observing his every move and flash of an expression. He wanted to be sure everything he said got to the boy. "_I _am Sasori. You, however, will call me Sasori no Danna or _Danna, _unless I state otherwise_. _You show respect, got it?"

Deidara stared motionlessly at Sasori, giving no response. It was only when the redhead raised his eyebrow that he realized he'd been asked a question. Immediately, he gave a quick nod, memorizing what he'd just promised.

Sasori continued, "The one you saw giving orders is _Madara, _referred to as Captain or Captain Madara, no other way."

"But the others? What do I call the other sailors?" Deidara put in, eyes filled with anticipation.

Sasori's eyes narrowed at being interrupted, but he decided to answer. "You don't," he put it simply. "You are not allowed to speak to any other than me. I only gave you Madara's name in order for you to know who I am talking about."

Deidara's face fell, but he stayed quiet without any complaints. It could've been worse, he knew. He could've been dead.

"Now, the code," Sasori went on. "I am not going to recite you the pirate law here, but only the ones that apply to you. Firstly, my word is law. When I order something, you follow it, no matter _what _it is. When it's my word against someone else's, you follow _mine. _When it's my word against Madara's, you follow _mine. _When it's my word against your beliefs, you follow _what_?"

"Your word," Deidara muttered in reply. Sasori frowned, giving Deidara an angry glare that he, to his own surprise, understood. Coughing to clear his throat, he repeated, louder this time, "Your word."

Sasori gave a curt nod. "You are not allowed to go anywhere without me. No leaving this room without me. No opening the door to anyone, I have the key and no one else needs to get inside. Also, when you're here, keep quiet. Keep quiet in general, that's a rule as well. Questions?"

"If the ship sinks, do I sink with it?" Deidara asked emotionlessly, surprised at how easily he talked about his own death. Drowning had never seemed such an horrible way to die; the sharks, however, were a whole different story.

Sasori smirked, looking him in the eye. "You are connected to me, not the ship. The answer is no."

Deidara nodded quietly. A little something to brighten up his day. Sasori got up from his chair and walked past him to the door. "If that's it, then you can go sleep on the bed. That's only for the first night, however. After that, you will be sleeping on the floor."

After saying that, he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him with a slam. Deidara stayed still for a little more, listening to the click as Sasori locked the door. Taking in a deep breath, he paced slowly over to the bed.

All the thoughts brought up by the sudden feeling of solitude were threatening to suffocate him and he collapse on the bed. _Not tonight, _he pleaded into the pillow, pulling the covers over himself as the shivers running down his spine became more frequent. _This is quite enough for today._

Closing his eyes, he hoped sleep would drown or take away all the emotions stirring inside of him.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Taking Waterbomb22's advice, I've decided to just mix up modern speak and pirate slang. So much easier lol. There isn't any pirate slang in this chap though, I think. Also, I will try to give Kuroshitsuji speak a try as well, I think the themes match x3_

_On a side note, for those of you who aren't using computers, scroll all the way down._

_AND, in case anyone's interested, I've (read: tried to draw) drawn fanart for this fic (can I draw FANart for my own story? 0.o Anyway, I've drawn some pictures) and uploaded them on my deviantart account. Actually, I've only uploaded a pic of Dei so far, but a pic of Sasori will soon be following. I'm not that good of an artist, but if you're interested, my account is__TheDemonYourMaster__. (lol, don't laugh) So, it's thedemonyourmaster . deviantart . com (without the spaces, obviously). If you're bored, go look me up._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Dimly through sleep, Deidara sensed his body shaking. Uncurious about the source, he wanted to brush the feeling off and dive back under. Turning onto his stomach, he buried his face in the feather pillow and pulled the cover up to his ears.

But the feeling never went away. For an unknown amount of time, his shoulder was vibrating and he suspected a person being behind it. A low indistinct mumble escaped his lips. This couldn't have been Sebastian, now could it? Why would his servant want to wake him up? Had Father told him to? Had they reached the land?

No.

Last day's events came all running back to Deidara, together with a hard slap against the back of his head. He wasn't in his compartment. In fact, his compartment didn't even exist anymore; the remains of it were lying somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, together with Sebastian's, his Mother-, small correction, step-mother's and step-father's bodies. Plus a whole bunch of the Royal Navy seamen.

"Brat, get up!" Sasori growled, smacking the blond against his head again. Deidara was up in a flash, rubbing the hurt spot on his head. His eyes had been wide open for a moment, but now they threatened to fall shut again. The effort took so much out of the him to only look up at the hovering redhead. Despite Sasori's tone of voice, his face showed nothing but lack of interest.

"What?" Deidara asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. He stopped suddenly, realizing his mistake. "I mean, what, Sasori no Danna?" Shyly, he peered up through his fringe, wanting to know whether he'd been forgiven.

Sasori's face hadn't changed. "Get up," he repeated, turning on his heel. Without asking any more questions, Deidara did as he was told, following the redhead out of the open door. Sasori closed and locked it behind them, before leading the boy back down the corridor.

Deidara traced after him, dragging his feet along. He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but it sure didn't feel longer than three hours. When they got up to the deck, the first thing Deidara noticed was that it was dark. And cold. He curled his toes under his feet as much as he could to protect them from the harsh wind that blew straight at him.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he looked up at the sky. It was dark blue, with light dots that were the stars, some brighter than the others, illuminating the sky. It definitely had a certain beauty to it, but nothing comparable to what lied beneath it.

Deidara's eyes shifted to the dancing sea. That was true art; the way the waves rose and dove back down, becoming one with the rest of the ocean. The endless wavery blueness almost made him forget about the chilly night that threatened to put him to the grave.

His bare feet hurting against the wooden deck, he dreaded over to one side of the ship to get a better look. He wanted to dive right into it without thinking, to become one with the sea, one with art. He wasn't sure, but guessed that it was common sense what held him back. Still, that didn't mean he didn't count it as an option. Should things get too bad here, he'd know what to do.

A low shaky sigh escaped his lips, when he realized that his body was shaking. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes searching for the redhead. He found him standing a few meters away, also gazing at the sea. Deidara made his way to him, hands clenching around his own arms, struggling to keep some heat in his body. Sasori didn't raise his head or react in any way when the blond approached, but that was okay. Deidara hadn't expected him to.

"Danna, why am I here? I'm cold." His voice came out much more shaky and whiney than he'd wanted it to be. He still wasn't sure whether Sasori minded that tone or not.

Sasori acted like he hadn't heard. His eyes were staring off into the distance, eyes half shut as though he'd fall asleep any second. He seemed to be in a daze, but Deidara was more than sure that had he tried to punch him, his reflexes would've been as fast as ever, leaving no questions about him being awake.

Shyly, Deidara reached out to poke him. Both of their skins seemed white in the moonlight. The touch of Sasori's skin was warm when Deidara's finger pressed against it. This surprised the blond; he'd expected it to be flaming hot. But if it was warm to him, meaning about the same temperature as him, it meant that he was as cold as him. Unlike him, though, he didn't seem bothered by it in the least.

Deidara wondered about it, withdrawing his finger. Hearing the redhead's voice, he looked up from his pale hand. "Bear with it, brat, you'll go back soon," Sasori said, his gaze glued to the horizon. Deidara's eyebrows lowered in a slight frown. He didn't like Sasori's repetitive usage of 'brat'. It made him feel like he was being regarded as a little, immature kid.

"My name is Deidara," he said, the fact that he hadn't mentioned his name before occurring to him only now. The cold night helping a lot to keep his eyes open, he watched as Sasori turned his head towards him. Deidara understood that the redhead didn't really care.

"I know," was the only thing he had for a reply. This didn't sound right, Deidara thought. How could've he known? He was absolutely certain that he hadn't mentioned it before. _Probably just trying to sound superior._

"Why am I out here in the cold? I thought I was supposed to stay in-"

"You will," Sasori put in, turning towards the sea again. "You need to get outside to not start to feel claustrophobic."

Deidara nodded absentmindedly as he watched the wind play with Sasori's red locks, catching himself wondering what they would feel like between his fingers. Suddenly, he flashed to an image of the redhead's hands around him as he kissed him, his own pale hands grabbing the messy crimson hair. The redhead's hands being strong, protective…

"Brat!" Sasori gave him a smack against the back of his head, bringing him back to reality. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Deidara rubbed the spot on his head, nodding as soon as he realized he'd been asked a question. His cheeks were tinted pink when he forced his eyes to look into Sasori's. With a gulp, he realized that the redhead's hands were crossed.

"Repeat what I said then," Sasori said. The blush on the blond's cheeks deepened even more, until his entire face was crimson red, matching Sasori's hair. He racked his brain for the answer, but never found it. Another smack against his head.

"Never lie to me, another rule," Sasori said. He turned around, starting towards the quarter deck. Deidara followed him, his head lowered. "For your information, I didn't say anything."

Back in the compartment, Sasori rummaged through the metal casket, tossing a few pieces of cloth at the blond. Deidara caught them easily. A blanket and… a smaller blanket. Deidara glanced up at Sasori, who climbed into the bed and turned onto one side, his back on the blond.

Deidara gave a low sigh. He didn't want to inquire or annoy the redhead with questions about what exactly he was supposed to do with them. It wasn't that much because he was afraid of a punishment more severe than a smack against his head, but because… he wasn't sure. He wanted to be to his liking.

Deidara stilled at the thought. He didn't want to be like that. Thinking that way made him look pathetic, even to himself. Frowning, pissed at himself, he folded the smaller blanket, making it substitute the missing pillow and laid down on the floor.

Even under the blanket, he still felt cold. He drew his knees to his chest, hugging them to keep warm, but the shivers running down his back never stopped. He could hear his own teeth clattering and forced them tightly together to not make any noise.

Fortunately for him, sleep took over soon and he fell under.

He didn't remember seeing any dreams when he was woken up in the morning by Sasori shaking his body. This time around he was aware of the meaning and obediently opened his eyes at once. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Sasori had taken a seat behind the table, drinking something from a large brown bottle. Deidara gazed at him for some time, while massaging his sore limbs. Hard wooden floor wasn't exactly the best bed imaginable.

"Ach-ach-ACHOO!"

The sound startled both him and Sasori, the redhead casting him a look of surprise. Deidara covered his face and nose immediately. He felt embarrassment and expected himself to blush again, but his cheeks stayed as white as ever.

"Sorry," he muttered, wiping his nose. Sasori's eyes narrowed, but it wasn't caused by the missing title. He put the bottle down.

"Are you feeling ill?" he asked.

Deidara wasn't sure why he cared, but guessed that complaining wouldn't bring him any good. He shook his head.

Sasori wasn't satisfied with that answer, it was obvious. During the short time he'd known him, Deidara had often felt like the redhead could see right through him. Like he could read him like an open book. Sasori gave a harsh sigh. "What did I say about lying to me?"

Deidara knew that he hadn't sounded convincing, but what he'd told had been the truth. There was nothing physically wrong with him, if you didn't count the cold during the night and the small bump on the back of his head.

"I am not lying," he stated, trying to sound convincing. His eyes were wide open, hopefully sincere, as he stared into Sasori's. The redhead shook his head disapprovingly.

"You have to understand that you are of no use to me, if you're sick." Oh, so that was why he cared, Deidara realized. Being put like that, it sounded quite obvious. "Now I repeat, are you alright?"

Deidara nodded, deciding to not back down now. He'd make sure to ask for an extra blanket the next time. Sasori gave a nod as well, seeing as he wasn't getting any more out of the blond. He snapped up the apple on the table and tossed it at the younger male.

"Here, eat."

It wasn't until Deidara had taken a bite that he realized how hungry he had been. He gobbled down the rest of the apple in a flash, until there was literally nothing left of it. He even licked off his own fingers to make sure he'd cleaned every last bit of the juice.

Sasori didn't stay to watch him eat. He left the room and habitually locked the door behind him.

After Deidara had finished eating the apple he'd been given, he folded the blankets neatly and set them down on one of the chairs. Being unsure about what he was supposed to do, he laid down on the bed, waiting for Sasori's return.

Minutes passed, probably hours, without the door opening even once. Deidara understood why Sasori had made him go out last night. The room soon began to feel claustrophobic and he turned onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow to not see the four walls surrounding him.

He could hear voices shouting above his head, but couldn't make out any words. From time to time there were audible footsteps in the corridor, rising up anxiousness in him every time as he hoped them to belong to Sasori. But the door always remained shut and soon the footsteps faded.

He carved a single line in the wooden wall with his nail to keep track of every morning he'd wake up there. As time gave him nothing to do, thinking was the only way for him to occupy his time. Numerous questions began surfacing, popping into his mind one by one.

Obviously, most of them revolved around the redhead. Why did Sasori want him there? Why had he spared his life? Why was he treating him so nicely? Even the servants of his family had been treated worse. Until now, Sasori had been treating him like a younger brother. An annoying, in-need-of-babysitting younger brother.

What _was _Deidara supposed to be to Sasori anyway? A hostage? A slave? A servant? A _pet? _Deidara wasn't sure which one he would've preferred, so it didn't really matter to him whether he was a hostage or a pet.

Moreover, there was this one thing that tended to slip his mind – Sasori had said that he knew what his name was. At first he'd thought he hadn't been serious, but now that he began analyzing it, a joke like that didn't really make sense.

And assuming that _was _the case, that Sasori really had known him before, led him to think about another possibility – maybe Sasori hadn't chosen him at random. But the theory wasn't of much use, since it only led him back in a circle to the first question he'd begun with – why did Sasori need him there?

There were many questions and zero answers. How troublesome. Deidara rolled over on the bed again and looked around in the room. It was only now that he noticed the dim rays of light shining through the wall above him.

He got up to his feet and found a small round hatch window in the wall next to the head of the bed. It had a rusted padlock on it that clicked open the moment Deidara gripped it. Without a second thought, he tossed it onto the bed and prized the hatch open. He was greeted by a fresh salty breeze blowing into his face. Air had never before smelled so good.

Bright rays of sun lighted a small patch on the bed. Deidara let them warm his face as he scanned the little area he could see from the window. Truth be told, there wasn't that much to see. An endless sea vista stretched out into distance, becoming one with the clear blue sky on the horizon. That sight was quite enough for Deidara, though.

He lay down on the bed, letting the sun warm his face for a while. But staying still for a long time was not in his nature. When the questions started surfacing yet again, he decided it was essential for him to find something to do.

The metal casket had been left unlocked and Deidara opened it. He was yearning for a comb to help him fix his hair, but there was none. Instead, he found his own ragged shirt and pulled it out. Since there was nothing better for him to do anyway, he might've as well cleaned the room a bit, he decided. He was certain he'd seen some spider webs in the corners.

Searching the room, he found a flat casket under the bed. Deeming it to be useless when he realized it was locked, he pushed it back. To clean, he needed a cloth (check) and water. He didn't have any water. Sighing, he went back to rummaging the casket.

He didn't exactly hope to find a bottle lying in the bottom of it, but the least he could do was try. Instead of a bottle, his hand fumbled across a large roll of cord, which gave him an idea. He tied his old shirt to the cord and climbed back on the bed.

Tossing the shirt out of the small window, he unwound the coil, letting the cloth go closer and closer to the water. He wasn't sure how many meters above the sea level he was, but hoped that the length of the cord would be enough.

Once he met the end of the cord, he started coiling it back up. A small smile flashed across his face when he saw that the cloth he'd pulled up was wet. He wrung it out and hopped down onto the floor. Feeling oddly enthusiastic, he began mopping the floor, not sparing a single spot.

He also cleaned the casket, the table, _every _surface in the room until there was literally nothing left to clean. Even though he knew it to be pointless, he mopped the floor once more, until his knees became too painful to tolerate the pressure.

He then cleaned the cloth, letting it stay in the water for some time before pulling it back up. Putting it away, he congratulated himself for managing to occupy an hour of his time. He climbed back on the bed, lying down on his back. Once again he was out of ideas.

To make matters worse, his stomach started growling. One apple several hours ago wasn't nearly enough for someone who was used to being spoiled with the most delicious steaks and desserts all day long. Deidara had always been slim, no matter how much he ate. He could only imagine what he would look like in a week, if this was what his diet would start to be like. His ribs would be showing in no time.

Sasori didn't return before several hours after twilight. Deidara felt weak, his stomach hurting like something was eating him up from the inside. When he heard the click of the door, he wanted to sit up, but had no energy required for it. Sasori stepped inside, a brown bag in his hand that he set down on the table.

Deidara's eyes were closed, when he heard the already familiar voice say, "Get up from my bed."

"I need food for that," Deidara whispered, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible. He hadn't spoken the whole day long. He cleared his throat, repeating himself, "I need food for that, Danna." His voice was still shaky, but at least now he was sure the redhead had heard him. He cracked his eye open and looked at Sasori. "I'm very hungry, Danna."

Sasori's expression was stoic; Deidara wondered briefly whether he'd ever see him smile. "I'm not going to feed you, brat," Sasori said and sat down on the chair. "Food's on the table."

With great effort, Deidara pushed himself up from the bed and stumbled down to the table, gripping the edge of it for support as he sat down. Almost maniacally, he reached out for the brown bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a small loaf of bread, fried steak and a bottle of hell knows what.

Not bothering to ask for permission, he took a huge bite out of the loaf, then going to attack the steak viciously. He looked like a starving wild animal the way he gobbled down the liquid without checking first what exactly it was. Fortunately, it turned out to be water.

Once his stomach didn't hurt so much anymore, he slowed down a little, taking time to chew the food. His eyes shifted from the bread to Sasori, who was sitting unmovingly across from him. Sasori let his eyes run absentmindedly over the room, before they stopped on the casket and he glanced back at the blond.

"You cleaned the room?" he asked skeptically, staring at Deidara with a bewildered expression. Deidara nodded, swallowing the food he'd been chewing before opening his mouth to speak. "Yeah."

"Why?" Sasori inquired, even though he felt like he knew the answer to that question.

"You didn't exactly leave me a book to occupy my time," Deidara replied, rolling his eyes. "What do your rules say about dying of boredom?"

Sasori's eyes narrowed at him. "Brat, you're taking it too far."

Deidara snorted, rolling his eyes again. "_Sorry, _Danna," he said sarcastically, picking pieces from the loaf and shoving them in his mouth. The strange urge to act good was all gone now that his stomach was full.

"_Brat," _Sasori barked, his expression angry now. He was glaring at the blond with fearsome eyes, but Deidara didn't feel threatened by them. He stared back into his eyes with confidence, finishing up the last of the steak and bread.

"Yes?" he challenged arrogantly, licking his fingers clean once he'd finished eating. "Danna?" He wanted to know just how far the redhead could, or _would _go.

Sasori bolted up and grabbed Deidara's chin, pulling him forward. Deidara gasped and his hands automatically clamped around the redhead's arms, trying to make him loosen his grip, but to no avail. Sasori was far stronger than him.

"Listen, brat, you're able to stay alive only as long as _I _want you to. Maybe you've gotten the wrong impression, but I am not alive on this ship for nothing. These hands that you feel at the moment have killed more people than you've even seen during your life. This body has violated more bodies than there are in Cross Bones*. These _eyes" – _he was hissing, moving closer to the blond's face until there were only a few inches between their noses – "have witnessed a greater number of deaths than any of the king's soldiers. Do _not _make me do the same things to you that I have to a countless number of others."

Deidara's face had gone sheet-pale by the time Sasori finished. The redhead pulled him up from the seat and shoved him onto the bed, Deidara hitting his head hard against the wall. Sasori swung around and trod to the door.

"Remember, brat, this was your last warning," he said, slamming the door closed after himself.

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><p><em><strong>*Cross Bones – just to educate you, Cross Bones was a post-medieval graveyard, where during a certain period prostitutes are believed to have been buried. It lay in the Liberty of the Clink, which was situated on the south bank of River Thames, opposite the City of London. As a consequence to the establishment of Cross Bones, the liberty became known for its brothels and theaters, as well as bull and bear baiting, activities not permitted in the City itself. The age of the cemetery is unknown, but it's definitely over 500 years old. By the 18th century, it had become merely a graveyard for the poor and up to 15,000 are believed to have been buried there. That last part, however, is past the time in this story. We are still in the 17th century here.<strong>_

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Helloz! ^~^ _

_I wanted to thank you all for reading, reviewing and waiting. I would've finished this chapter earlier, had I not gotten caught up in family issues. Sozzy. But anyways, here it is :_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Two weeks passed by and the number of carved lines in the wooden wall grew to fourteen. Deidara marked down every morning he woke up in the compartment just to have an imaginary connection with the outside world by keeping track of time. Had he not had the lines, he would've believed that 3 months had already passed.

Deidara's once vigorous body had visibly shrunk, his ribs showing and facial features having sharpened, losing all traces of the childish roundness. His once tan, youthful and healthy face was now pale and sick-looking, dark circles lying beneath his dim baby blue eyes. Even the sparkle in his eyes was lost; he looked like a lifeless zombie.

He and Sasori had fallen into a pattern quite quickly. They arouse around dawn, Deidara getting water and an apple for breakfast, before Sasori took off. Deidara was left with twelve empty hours to occupy, until the redhead returned. He'd then be given a small amount of food and allowed to sleep for a few hours. Around midnight, they would both go up to the deck, so Deidara could breathe some fresh air, before returning to the compartment and letting the routine repeat itself again.

On the fifteenth day, around noon, Deidara was lying on the bed when the door thrust open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Had there been a painting hanging on the wall, it would've fallen to the floor. Deidara jumped up, eyes wide with fear. He'd just been about to fall asleep, but the sudden change in the routine took away all chances of him drifting off.

Sasori stood in the doorway looking as stoic as always. When looking at his face, one would've never guessed that something was out of the ordinary or off in the slightest. He stepped inside, pushing the door closed after him a lot more calmly that it had been opened.

He raised his hand and motioned with his index finger for the boy to get off the bed. Deidara obliged immediately, his legs shaking slightly as he stood up. Sasori reached out for his shirt and jerked him closer, pulling the cloth up. Deidara stiffened in surprise and terror.

His body could only relax after a few minutes as he felt Sasori's soft finger trace along his ribs and flat stomach. The touch made his skin prickle with dull excitement, the sensation tracing up his spine and sending a shiver throughout his body. Deidara let his eye fall closed. Only standing on his feet was a great effort for him now.

"Bloody hell," Sasori muttered, pulling the shirt back down over the stomach again. "You look like a skeleton."

Deidara cracked his eye open, frowning and plopping down on the bed. "I wonder whose fault that is."

"Your body is not strong enough. At this rate, you'll be useless in a few months." Sasori didn't look at the blond as he spoke, turning his back on him. Deidara didn't appreciate that tone. Not only did the redhead regard him as a weakling, but was talking about him like he was a tool. Which he probably was, in Sasori's mind. Deidara had known that, it was the only sensible reason a _pirate _would've bothered to keep him there. Still, he didn't like having to listen to it.

"Change your tactics then," Deidara said with a hint of a challenge in his voice. "Stop treating me like a puppet and you'll see that you were wrong about my strength."

Sasori didn't seem to be listening. He walked over to the casket and pulled out a brown glass bottle. Opening it, he threw his head back, gulping down what Deidara assumed to be rum. Deidara felt like rolling his eyes. _Great, get drunk. Surely you'll listen to reason then._

He curled up on the bed, watching as the redhead took a seat behind the table, drinking like he'd been thirsty for years. Deidara couldn't help noticing the degenerated side of him, the one side everyone had when they started drinking. Everyone, no exceptions. Both the aristocrats and the poor. Deidara monitored him with anticipation.

"Why are you a pirate, Danna?" he asked all of a sudden.

Sasori shot him a stoic look, letting him know that the conversation with him was annoying him. "Why are you a human, brat?" he retorted.

Deidara shook his head. "You know that's not what I meant. Why did you _become _a pirate?"

Sasori didn't answer, averting his eyes back to the bottle. His index finger was tracing up and down the brown glass, his chin resting on his hand. Deidara watched him silently, becoming slightly frustrated. His eyebrows furrowed. There was a minute of silence, before he spoke again.

"Why are you keeping me here? Why didn't you kill me like you should have?" Deidara paused for a moment. Seeing as he was given no response, he whispered, "I just want to know what I'm living for."

"You're not living for anything, brat," Sasori spat, the alcohol sucking up what little patience he might've had before. His words hit a nerve and Deidara felt his body tense up again. The motion hurt physically, he felt like hurling because of his empty stomach. "You're merely _existing _to be of use to me."

Deidara didn't open his mouth again after that. He stayed on the bed, watching as Sasori finished up the bottle and threw it to the corner of the room. It broke. Deidara mentally smiled; at least he had something to clean up now to occupy his time later. The next moment he looked up, Sasori had already left the room.

Deidara rolled over, letting go of his knees. Holding onto something required too much energy, his hands were already shaking. He spread out his limbs, trying to relax his body as much as he could. His eyes stayed open, staring at one small spot on the ceiling. After a while, he didn't feel his aching body anymore.

_You're merely existing to be of use to me… _The words cut through his head again and again, leaving him in deep thought. _I _should have _died on the day my fam-, adopted family did. It was meant to be, like destiny, _he mused, the words seeming voiced in his head. _But if that's true, then what I'm living on at the moment is merely a loan, loaned time. But no one can live off loaned time, so one could say I'm only existing. _

Deidara wasn't sure how he felt about it. _I'm existing only to serve him. I won't die when I'm supposed to, that time has already passed. I will die when he doesn't need me anymore. _That conclusion seemed to change a lot.

The sound of seagulls screeching made Deidara open his eyes. Sheepishly blinking, he realized he'd dropped off at some point. He tried sitting up, his body feeling a little better than it had been before. He stretched his back and arms, overcoming the dizziness he'd had when getting up.

Then there was the seagulls' screeching again. Deidara glanced up at the open window, the dim light coming in proving it to be an evening already. He got up to his feet, the bed sinking a little beneath him, and looked out of the window.

A few birds were really flying up in the dim evening sky, making out-of-shape circles above the sea. The land was either close, or they had already reached a harbor, Deidara concluded. At the sound of the door opening he turned around, seeing Sasori enter the room.

"We're going out," he said, pushing the door closed and walking over to the casket. He lifted the lid, fishing out a pair of knee-height, plain brown boots and tossing them on the ground. "Put them on."

Deidara looked down, surprised, and plopped down on the bed, eyeing the pair of shoes carefully. It had been a long time since he'd last worn any kind of footwear, he'd already forgotten what it felt like. The skin on his bare feet was white and scratched, a few bruises here and there. The thought of covering his feet now seemed out of this world.

"Smartly now, brat. Don't keep me waiting," Sasori said, closing the lid after having found a jacket in it as well. Deidara reached out for the boots and pulled them on, hesitatingly taking a step on the floor. To his surprise, the shoes fit perfectly, as though they'd been made for him. He looked up, a shy, yet excited smile on his face and followed the redhead out.

"Where are we?" he asked excitedly, running his fingers through his blonde hair. The absence of a comb had been bothering him for a while now, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up in fear of Sasori cutting his hair as a punishment.

Wordlessly, Sasori tossed the midnight green jacket at him and continued to go up the stairs to the deck. Deidara sighed but didn't inquire further as he shrugged the jacket on. At least he was getting out for a bit.

Loud noise and chatter filled the air outside as the pirates Deidara had only seen once a few weeks back seemed to be in a great mood. Deidara eyed them carefully, sticking closer to Sasori just in case. He noticed that unlike before, they were all dressed properly. No more dirty rags or unwashed faces. With the way they looked now, they would've well fitted in with the London society. Which was probably the point.

Peeking over the heads of the pirates, Deidara didn't recognize the city they'd arrived at. The harbor itself wasn't anything extraordinary, quite similar to some smaller ones found in England.

The man with messy long black hair, the captain, _Madara _as Sasori had called him, approached the duo as they stood a few meters away from where the others had gathered.

Sasori's eyes narrowed as they watched the man near, a look of despisal hiding in the depths of them. Deidara wondered whether there was something more going on between the two males that he didn't know about. He rolled his eyes at the thought. _Obviously. _But what?

Madara was wearing clothes similar to everyone else's – nothing flaunting, only a casual outfit characteristic to seamen. The expensive accessories had been put away, but he'd still kept his tri-cornered hat that seemed to be a trademark for the captain. He came to a stop in front of Sasori, his expression skeptical and contemplating.

"You decided to take the dog with ye?"

Sasori didn't voice an answer, but gave a terse nod. Madara glanced at the blond standing behind the redhead and wrinkled his nose once, but didn't say anything as he turned around. "Alright me mates, onto the land we go now!"

Deidara followed Sasori as he trooped with the others down to the harbor. It was a pleasant evening and Deidara, who hadn't been out for so long, took in a deep breath and let a wide smile spread across his face. He almost skipped, following the group with the redhead.

Not far from the harbor stood an old-looking bar, the smell of fish and moist greeting the seamen as they stepped inside. The general noise that followed the group wherever they went, sounded out of place in the bar that had been quiet before their arrival. Only a few old men had been drinking behind the tables, but they retreated when they saw the group enter.

Behind the counter was standing a woman in her late thirties, her elbows propped down on the wooden surface. She'd been lazily cleaning one glass, but put it away at the arrival of the guests. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she didn't seem surprised. Guess this wasn't her first time encountering a group like this.

Deidara halted in the doorway, not knowing where to go or what to do. Sasori was standing next to him, casually scanning the room. Madara had walked straight to the woman and started a conversation with her, playing with strands of his black hair by curling them around his finger.

Others found their places behind the tables. Sasori grabbed Deidara's wrist and pulled him down onto a nearby bench, making him sit in the corner as he settled down next to him. Deidara watched shyly as six other pirates sat down across from them, laughing loudly. No one seemed to mind him, though.

The woman from behind the bar brought glasses and placed them before the men, including Deidara. He watched her suspiciously as she filled them up and left to serve the other customers. Everyone else snapped the glasses up the table and started drinking, yelling their compliments after the lady.

Deidara wanted to do the same, except for the yelling, as his throat was burning from thirst. Yet he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to. He knew from his own experience that servants were never allowed to drink the same thing as their masters. Maybe he could've just asked for water?

He turned to Sasori, who was taking sips from his glass as well, engaged in the conversation. He didn't laugh or shout, preserving his cool, but didn't act like an outcast either. The corner of his mouth crept up a little at the silver-haired pirate shouting something at the woman again. It was backed up with a general laughter by everyone, except Madara still standing by the bar, frowning. The joke had been directed at him.

Deidara didn't dare to interrupt the redhead by asking for water and thus he stayed quiet, trying to lessen the burn by swallowing more often and moistening his throat. It soon became clear that it wasn't of much help. Instead, he focused his attention on the conversation, knowing that it wouldn't hurt as much if he didn't think about it.

The same silver-haired man, _Hidan _as Deidara had gathered, shouted something else and this time, even the blond smiled slightly. The group was amusing, if you got used to them. After some time, Madara returned from the counter and sat down behind the table Sasori and Deidara were sitting at. Deidara allowed himself a muffled chuckle at his comments about the woman.

As more glasses were emptied, the crowd grew wilder and wilder, the laughter getting more and more uncontrollable. When another joke was cracked, the pirates pounded against the table so hard that for a moment Deidara thought it would break. Sasori, though, remained calm, the alcohol not having much effect on him. Deidara was grateful for that; it allowed him to feel safe.

From the corner of his eye, Deidara noticed four strangers, he hadn't seen entering, talking to the woman. They were muscular and dressed in weird, black clothes. It seemed to be some kind of a uniform, even though Deidara couldn't imagine a company that would've given its employees clothes like that. They were casting mocking looks towards the pirates and suddenly it struck Deidara that they would've been in great danger, had someone known their true identities.

He wasn't sure what would've happened to him, if he'd been found in a crowd like this, but there would definitely be nothing good waiting for Sasori and the others. Truth be told, Deidara didn't care much about the others, but it was the thought of something happening to the redhead that worried him.

He turned to Sasori again, determined to warn him, when he saw that the redhead had already noticed them. He muttered something to Madara and the other gave a nod. Deidara watched as the strangers casually walked closer, coming to a stop next to their table.

One of them, a man with long straight black hair, slammed his hands down on the table, bringing silence to the room. He was greeted by many sets of glares, but he disregarded them. "Gentlemen, if you'd be so nice and keep it down a little. You seem to be causing a lot of trouble for the poor lady behind the counter."

Hidan snorted, picking up his glass and holding it out in front of the man. "I'll hold your daughter _down,_ if you bring her here. But that's the only thing I'll be holding _down_, if you catch my drift, matey."

The stranger's eye twitched and he clenched his fist, punching the pirate in the face without a second thought. Deidara jumped on his spot. Hidan fell down backwards, splashing his drink on the mate sitting behind him. The pirate stood up in a flash, throwing the first glass he got his hands on at the black-haired man.

And that's how it started. Deidara crawled down under the table for protection, staying close to the redhead's feet. Roaring and the sound of things breaking filled the air, the table shaking from time to time as though announcing an earthquake.

Deidara gasped when the table leg was lifted and then slammed back hard against the floor. He hadn't even noticed that he grabbed a hold of Sasori's pants, digging his nails into the cloth. Once he realized this, he peeked up from under the table, eyeing the redhead's face.

Sasori had stayed in the same spot the whole time, not letting the fight that threatened to collapse the house bother him. Calmly, he drunk from his glass, leaning back against the wall. An odd smile crept across his lips when he noticed the blond staring at him.

"Scared?" he teased, bringing the glass up to his lips again. Deidara shook his head rapidly, not letting the redhead get the better of him. It was true that he'd been frightened, but _Danna's _presence soothed him more than anything else in the world could_._

Sasori laughed, the sound barely audible in the chaos. "Good. Brat, I need you to do something. On the other side of the house, there's a hatchway leading to the cellar. It should be unlocked. I need you to go there and grab us a few bottles. Got it?"

Deidara didn't think twice. He nodded, carefully getting up and moving to the exit before anyone could notice him leaving. He shut the door after himself, taking a good sniff at the cold night air. It was already late and the bright moon was high up in the sky, reflecting off the sea still in sight.

He didn't take too long for admiring the beauty, making his way to the side of the building. It was dark, the moonlight lightening his path dimly. Fortunately he'd never been afraid of dark. He walked along the side of the building, keeping close to the wall just in case.

After he'd turned the corner, it wasn't difficult finding the hatch. Just like Sasori had said, it was unlocked. Deidara pulled it open and climbed down the ladder, arriving in a lit cellar. The floor was wooden and barrels of wine barricaded the walls on both his sides. The opposite wall was covered with shelves holding dozens and dozens of bottles.

Deidara walked over, eyeing the bottles carefully. There was a large variety available. Deidara was grateful to his step-father who had taught him the 'art' of finding the finest wine. After going through all the labels, Deidara picked out 5 bottles and hurried back to the exit without feeling any remorse. What he stole and what he did didn't matter. He wasn't the one who would be responsible, he was merely a tool. He'd almost accepted that.

Pressing three bottles against his chest and holding the other two in his free hand, he started walking back the same way he'd come from when he heard footsteps behind him. Frightened, he stopped, pressing himself against the wall.

"Who goes there?" a voice asked in a loud tone in the darkness. Deidara tried squinting to make out the figure but to no avail. There was no body to be seen, only a voice. Deidara felt cold. His face paled and heart raced, the thumping so loud that he was sure whoever it was hiding in the darkness could hear him.

Shaking, he started to open his mouth but it clamped shut. Sasori's words went through his head as though he'd been there himself, voicing them. _You are not allowed to speak to any other than me. _Deidara wasn't sure since when he'd started feeling this loyal to the redhead, but at the moment, it even made sense to obey. Had he been spotted stealing, he would've gotten hanged.

"I repeat, who goes there? Answer or I shall shoot!"

Deidara gulped and slowly started taking steps back, trying to keep it as quiet as he could. His grip around the bottles tightened, a mocking voice in his head snickering: '_Wine? This is what you'd give your life up for?' _Deidara pressed even closer to the wall, willing to mute the voice before it paralyzed him.

"I shall count to three! One…"

Deidara began moving quicker, his movements becoming clumsier as he walked backwards, facing the man that he couldn't see. At least the man couldn't see him either.

"Two…"

_How long does this wall go on? _Deidara screeched in his head. It had seemed a lot shorter before.

"Three!" At the same moment the word had been yelled, Deidara felt the wall against his side come to an end and he swung around rapidly, making it behind the corner a split second before he heard the shot. He had no time to worry about the bullet hitting him, he sped towards the door. Pushing it open, he bolted inside, his breathing heavy and coming out in short gasps.

He took a minute to catch his breath before looking around him. The presence of visible people soothed him. The fight was over, that was for sure. Actually, it was awfully quiet. There was no sign of the men in black anymore and the pirates had mostly fallen asleep; some on the benches, some on the floor.

A few were still up, but paid no attention to him. Walking over to the table he'd sat behind before, he found Sasori asleep as well. His face was buried in the crook of his arm resting on the table, while his other hand was still gripping a bottle of rum.

Deidara sighed. So much for asking him for permission to drink. He put the bottles down under the table, out of the view of the others, and sat down next to the redhead, resting his head on the table as well. He inhaled and breathed out slowly, the fire in his throat burning his insides.

_Sleepers don't feel pain,_ he thought, slowly, drifting off as well.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_****Hello, everyone, once again~~ I'm sorry for taking so long (it's been over a month since the last update = =') but I realized that this is as fast as I can write. I'm really sorry, but writing this fic any quicker isn't really possible for me, so please, do forgive me. At least I kinda know in which direction I'm steering this..._

_SOME RANDOM NEWS: are there any YANDERE-lovers reading this? There's this REALLY awesome song - it's in Estonian, but there's also a video of it on youtube with English translation. Search 'The diary of a criminal of passion' or the channel 'YamiSkydomYay' (yes, it's my account :3). Even though the artist probs didn't mean it to be like this, it tells the story of a yandere :D Comment or let me know in any other way, if you watched it and what you thought~~_

_I hope you enjoy the chap ^^ I really do. Oh please, /PLEASE/ enjoy this chapter !_

_lol. that was weird._

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

A baby blue eye cracked open, feeling sore and swollen. Deidara raised his head slowly, frowning at the table, wondering why every muscle and bone in his body seemed to hurt. His back ached, limbs felt numb, head was throbbing and stomach felt so empty he didn't even remember what food tasted like.

He tried to swallow, but it felt like burning needles against his throat, sliding down like a raven's claws. His face crumpled up as he pressed his hand against his stomach. He felt like he was going to puke, even though he knew it to be a mere feeling – there was nothing for him to throw up.

Weakly, he turned his head and looked at Sasori. The man was still sleeping, even though the bottle he'd been holding onto before was gone. Deidara suspected that he'd find it under the table. His eyes wandered off to his own still full glass that he hadn't dared to touch before. It hurt too much now, Deidara could see only two possible routes for himself – either drinking it or dying. Even one minute with this burning throat seemed like a very painful hour to him.

Hesitantly, he reached out and poked Sasori's shoulder. He didn't care what punishment he'd get for disturbing his sleep, he wanted to _drink. _He poked again, his fingers shaking rapidly. The redhead didn't move. Deidara spent a minute trying to wake him up, before dismissing the matter. No permission it was then.

Urgently, he stretched his hand towards the glass and had already reached it when he felt the weight on the other side of the bench shifting. Frightened, he flipped his bang out of his way so he'd see the redhead and withdrew his hand. Sasori raised his head slowly.

The just woken up redhead didn't differ in any visible way from the drunken redhead or the sober one. His hair looked rustled as always and eyes were as clear as ever, only half way open. He gazed in front of him at first, blinking a few times before turning to the blond.

"What is it, brat?"

Deidara tried to swallow and cough to clear his throat, but with little success. Shyly, he whispered: "May I drink?"

His voice came out almost inaudible, making Sasori raise an eyebrow as he didn't understand what had just been said. Seeing this, Deidara moved closer to him and repeated his question: "May I drink, Danna?" He pointed at his glass.

Sasori's other eyebrow rose the slightest bit as well, his expression the closest to astonishment he could pull off. "You are asking me for permission to drink?" Despite his still quite stoic face, there was an amused tone in his voice.

Deidara nodded and started to explain, but his voice sounded so rough that Sasori cut him off by shoving the glass into his hands. "Drink," Sasori ordered. Deidara didn't have to be told twice. Lust gleaming in his eye, he threw his head back and gulped down all the liquid without halting even to wonder what it was he was drinking. Whatever it was, nothing had ever tasted so good before. His throat still hurt a little, but felt much better than it had been in hours.

Sasori was tapping his fingers against the table, waiting impatiently for an explanation. Setting down the empty glass, Deidara glanced at him shyly, before averting his eye to his knees. For some odd reason, he felt embarrassed. "Um… I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to drink."

From behind, he could hear moaning and cursing as people started to get up. He didn't turn his head, though, not wanting anyone to see him cowering before the redhead. He could feel Sasori's eyes drilling into him for a few moments, before moving away with a low snort.

Confused by the reaction, Deidara looked up, only to find Sasori opening another bottle. "Foolish brat," he muttered, raising the bottle to his mouth. Closing his eyes, he gulped down the liquid as though there was nothing wrong with drinking like a fish.

Deidara's expression changed as his eyebrows drew together and he pursed his lips. It was hard to believe, but he actually felt anger tingling in the pit of his stomach. It soon grew, heating his blood and making his hands shake, washing away the little excitement he'd felt at actually being able to _feel _something.

Fuming, he got up from the seat and glared at the redhead with the deadliest look he could muster. "Well _maybe, _if you made your rules a little _clearer, I _would appear a little _smarter," _he spat, clenching his fists. He felt a small sting of satisfaction when he saw Sasori regard him with a warning 'd managed to get his attention!

The small amount of joy was lost in the deep sea of fury. Suddenly, even the expression on Sasori's face seemed to irritate him. He took a step back and continued: "Or _maybe _if you gave me something to _live _on_, _and let me out during the _day _as well, I wouldn't be such a weakling and wouldn't look like _this!" _He spat the last word, pulling up his shirt and revealing his completely fatless stomach. The white skin seemed glued to his ribs, shaping them out in a sickly manner and there were a few bruises here and there.

"Brat!" Sasori barked, slamming his fist against the table. The bang made Deidara pale and his tight grip around the cloth loosened. Suddenly, he felt extremely light, as though he were floating in air. His head was swimming and he lost balance, falling backwards. He didn't feel hitting the ground.

-x-

When he opened his eye, he was surprised to find himself on the ground. When exactly had he ended up there? He was even more surprised to find Sasori hovering above him, monitoring him with stoic eyes. Seeing as the blond had woken up, he moved away.

Deidara sat up quickly, not feeling safe just lying there like that. He gazed around and realized that they were back in Sasori's compartment. He must've fainted back in the bar, but had the redhead really carried him there? The flash image in his head made his cheeks grow warmer, even though it didn't show on his cold and sweaty face.

Sasori was pacing in circles, seeming uncharacteristically nervous. He let out muffled sighs from time to time, settling down behind the table after a few rounds. Propping himself on his elbows, he hid his face in his hands. He looked so frustrated even his hair seemed more rustled than normally.

Deidara didn't like seeing him like this. It made him feel uncomfortable, as though something was amiss with him as well. Slinking, he crawled on his knees to the table, wanting to stay a level lower than his Danna. A blonde head popped up from behind the table and a baby blue eye gazed at Sasori with concern.

"Danna?" Deidara said, setting his fingers on the table. His voice was small and hesitant. "Is everything-?"

"What," Sasori started, silencing the blond, "do you want from me?" Those words seemed strange and foreign to Deidara. He couldn't catch on that quickly.

"Eh?" he asked, taken aback. What was Sasori saying?

The redhead slowly looked up from his hands, gazing at Deidara with tired eyes. "What do you want from me?" he demanded, appearing angry all of a sudden. "What do want me to do in order for you to stay alive?"

Deidara felt like cowering before his glare and averted his eyes to the ground. What? Why had he done that? He couldn't take that burning look of his Danna.

"Answer me, brat!" Sasori hissed, but the tone was painful and desperate. He sounded as though he genuinely had no idea how to treat a human being. Deidara wasn't sure how he should've responded. He understood that he was in the compartment room for his own safety, but what was that safety worth, if it was slowly killing him?

"Let me become a pirate as well," Deidara whispered, dreading the redhead's reaction. _Brat, stop with the foolishness. _He could hear Sasori saying those words too clearly in his head. He squeezed his eye shut, biting his lip.

"Alright," Sasori said after a long pause. "Have it that way."

Deidara's eye snapped open and he looked up, surprised. "Really?" His voice went up.

Sasori gave him a stern look, but that didn't frighten the blond anymore. "This is only so you'd stay alive. You're of no use to me dead. And should you get injured, I don't care how you got the wound, it's your own fault. All rules remain the same."

Having said that, he got up and Deidara watched him walk out the door. He returned shortly, holding a wooden bowl and a glass bottle in his hands. He set them down on the table in front of Deidara, motioning towards them when Deidara didn't move and kept staring at him.

"Eat."

Deidara's face lit up immediately and he swirled around, grabbing the meat loaf from the bowl. He sunk his teeth into it, swallowing huge bites without bothering to chew properly. It was like this every time Sasori gave him food. It made him feel pitiful, but he couldn't bring himself care when being _so. HUNGRY!_

"Are we departing already?" he asked, after emptying the bowl and the bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smiling from ear to ear when looking up at Sasori. "Danna?"

Sasori gazed at the blond sitting on the floor, hands crossed over his chest. He wasn't smiling, or showing any emotion, but he looked more relaxed now. He shook his head. "No. We're staying for a few days. We need to stock up."

"Can we go outside, Danna? Please?" Deidara was on his knees and raised clasped hands in front of his face. He realized he'd burst out so emotionally he even had tears in his eye. Staying still, he let the two drops run down his cheek.

Wordlessly, Sasori turned around and walked to the door. Smiling, Deidara got up and followed him out, having to mentally calm himself in order to not jump out of excitement. The ship was silent, their footsteps making the floor in the empty hallway creak.

They met no one on their way to the harbor. It was light outside and the sun was shining brightly, Deidara having to shield his eye to see until they reached the shadows of the buildings. He wondered vaguely where they were.

Sasori kept walking a few steps ahead of him. Deidara didn't take much notice of him; his attention was fully focused on the fresh, warm air, the shining sun, _everything _he'd been missing out on when spending his time in the small compartment.

There were people on the narrow streets, hustling and bustling at late morning hours. Both the rich and poor, and Deidara knew he fit in perfectly with the middle class. No one looked at him twice, the clothes he was wearing were better than any other camouflage.

Deidara took in each person he passed, which soon resulted in him feeling dizzy. _Pirates HAVE to fit in with the society, otherwise they'll be hung, _Deidara realized suddenly. _They're living a far more dangerous life than I imagined. They can be killed either in fights or by the King's men. _He was leaning against a wooden building to regain his balance and now glanced around. _And so does Sasori. Sasori? Where is Sasori?_

He couldn't spot bright red hair anywhere in the human mass. A strange wave of abandonment washed over him. He was lost?

Deidara pushed himself away from the building and started pacing down the street in the direction of where he'd last seen his Danna. Unease shivered through him and he felt panic rising up in himself. His steps became more hurried and eventually, he was running, bumping into strangers.

He got the desperate urge to shout out loud '_DANNA!' _but knew that Sasori wouldn't have approved of it. Changing directions, he started running back the way he'd come from, figuring that Sasori couldn't have gone so far.

He pushed past people, looking around helplessly, with only a slight hope that someone would come up to him and ask whether something was wrong. But he knew that that would never happen. He was on his own here. Mother wasn't here anymore to help out, father wasn't here anymore to assist. He was alone.

Deidara felt his eyes tearing up and he came to a stop, wanting to collapse right there on the cold ground. His heart skipped a beat when someone grabbed his arm and swirled him around in a harsh motion. The scream died on the tip of his tongue when he saw who it was.

"Brat, don't get lost."

Deidara took in a deep breath, relieved more than anything to see Sasori's usual stoic face. His eyes were still teary, but he let a small smile slide across his lips. With an expression like that, he said: "I'm sorry, Danna. I lost sight of you."

Then he froze. An ice-cold shiver ran down his back as he eyed the black figures approaching from the distance, moving in a cluster. They stood out from the crowd with their black cloaks that reached the ground. Deidara would've recognized them anywhere –they were the same who had picked a fight with them in the bar.

Were they part of the local government? Back in England clothing like this would've been considered outrageous and caused big drama on the streets. The citizens would've clustered around them and started inquiring about their origin. Even with the fear of witches gone, people like this would've caused suspicion and rumors to spread like wildfire.

"Brat, what is it?" Sasori demanded, studying the blond's face.

Deidara started to raise his finger to point at the source of his panic, but decided against it and said: "The men in black are walking in our direction. The ones we saw in the bar."

Without glancing back even once, Sasori's grip around the blond's hand tightened and he steered him in the opposite direction to the approaching men. They hurried through the crowd, pushing their way in to an old-looking green wooden house. The door closed behind them with a thud and then everything was dark.

Deidara could still feel Sasori's hand around his, pulling him forwards. The only things he could hear were his own footsteps and breathing. He wanted to be able to hear Sasori as well, but the only proof he got of Sasori's presence was the tight grip around his wrist. He deemed it to be enough.

Another door cracked open, letting a ray of light brighten the dark hallway. The crack widened, revealing a small shop. There were different weapons hanging on the dark green walls and a balding old man standing behind the counter with flaking brown paint and gray wood showing through.

As they stepped in, Sasori let go of Deidara's hand and paced further into the room, greeting the shopkeeper with a slight nod. Deidara watched the old man raising his head, his eyes focusing on Sasori who had gone to examine a particular blade displayed behind glass.

Deidara stepped closer to check it out as well and noticed that it was very well-grafted and polished, looking as though it'd been designed for a royalty. Despite being held behind glass, it looked out of place in a deprived shop with moist walls that smelled of fish. Deidara was certain it was expensive enough to even make his step-father, who was extremely ostentatious as a character, think twice before purchasing.

Leaving Sasori there admiring the blade, the blond moved on to take a look at the rest of the weapons on offer. Among countless handguns and rifles, a conspicuous dagger caught his eye. It had a curved bronze quillion and a beautiful ornate handle, which Deidara really wanted to grip at that moment. He could see his own reflection on the double-edged blade.

Had he still been an Iwaga, he would've bought it without much thought, but his pockets were empty now. Figuratively speaking; he wasn't sure whether these pants even had any pockets.

Sighing, he turned around and looked at Sasori. The redhead was at the counter, watching the shopkeeper wrap up what seemed to be… the marvelous blade the redhead had been admiring before. Deidara felt his mouth fall open.

His eyes darted back to where he'd last seen the blade, confirming that it was gone now. _Sasori had the money to buy THIS? _Either the shopkeeper was a complete moron who owned a treasure whose value he wasn't aware of, or Sasori was a very _successful _pirate_, _to say the least.

Deidara moved closer, eyeing the wrapped blade curiously.

"Is there anything I can help you with, young gentleman?" the shopkeeper asked.

Deidara raised his head, realizing the question had been directed at him. His eyes met the man's for a moment, before shifting to Sasori.

"Actually, yes, there is," Sasori spoke, drawing the shopkeeper's attention to himself. The old man raised an eyebrow. "Two handguns, if you may."

The man nodded and left through the door behind the counter. He returned shortly with a set of 5 guns in his lap. He lay them down on the counter in a straight line.

Sasori took his time inspecting each weapon. He picked them up, weighed them, tried taking aim. Finally he selected two of them, letting the shopkeeper take the rest back. The weapons were wrapped up in brown cloth and Sasori paid for them, nodding at the shopkeeper as a goodbye. Taking the purchases with him, he walked to the exit, Deidara tracing after him like a shadow. The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed as he watched the two leave.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	6. Chapter 6

**EVERYONE, PLEASE GO ON MY PROFILE, GO TO THE LINK GIVEN THERE AND JOIN THE PETITION TO STOP THE FANFIC STAFF FROM DELETING STORIES.** _BY THE WAY, IT'S FREE. ~ A sincere thank you from Akuma_

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><p><em>First off, I have no idea what they called receptionists and cashiers back in 1660. Screw that. Couldn't be that different from the modern word.<em>

_Secondly, please, do not be mad at me for the late update T_T (tomorrow it'll be exactly a month since the last update) I write days and nights (or plot during nights, if I can't get to my comp) - ask anyone who knows me. Also, I've been busy with tons of stuff - other fics, Into The Black (an upcoming book~), faking IDs to get a job on Internet (no one would hire a 14-year-old), babysitting little brother, etc etc. So yeah. I won't apologize anymore (and I hope it didn't sound like I was whining = ='), but it's just so you know ^^ (I figured you deserved an explanation)_

_Plus, I've been really good/productive today! I managed to write ONE FIC for THREE HOURS STRAIGHT without getting distracted ONCE. And I wrote over 3,000 words :3 It's kind of a record for me, I think. So yeh, I deserve praise~~ :D_

_Also, I love this chapter! xD (Note edit after editing the chapter: *I THOUGHT I loved it) It was kinda easy to write (probs because I didn't have internet where I was writing). So I hope you will like it too~~_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"A room for two, please," Sasori said, tossing the man behind the counter a coin. He snapped up the key from the table and walked up the stairs, Deidara following him like a shadow as usual.

The hallways were narrow and dim as characteristic to guesthouses. Their room had two single beds and a tiny window facing the street. Sasori set down his leather bag with a loud thud. Deidara had seen him put all his purchases in it and was currently wondering what position he'd find them in if he opened the bag, when Sasori's voice brought him back to reality.

"Brat."

Deidara looked at him, face as expressionless as a stone. "Yes, Danna?"

Sasori plopped down on his bed, bending forward and opening his bag, digging out one of the handguns. "Have you ever fired from a gun?"

Deidara eyed the weapon in Sasori's hand, its wooden handle and rusty metal barrel not looking inviting in the least. Sasori made holding it look so easy, but Deidara knew what it was really like to have the weight of a gun in your hand, with the knowledge of all the things you could do with it.

He nodded. "Father had servants teach me."

Sasori motioned for him to step closer, handing him the gun and fishing out the second one to give it to him as well. Deidara regarded the two guns, turning them over in his hands as though he was conducting an examination. He tried taking aim at the wall, a slender finger caressing the trigger.

"But Danna, how do you know I won't shoot you right now?" Deidara asked, not meaning it as a threat. He was genuinely curious; did his Danna trust him?

"I know you wouldn't dare. I've tamed you better."

Deidara gave Sasori a skeptical look, the raised eyebrow questioning the redhead's methods. Even when the blond had no intentions of a murder, Sasori just had to beg for him to change his mind with his arrogance. A playful glint in his eye, Deidara brought one of the guns over to point at the redhead, the second one following soon after.

"You certain about that, Danna?" Deidara was taking deliberate steps towards him, eye locked with Sasori's, until the barrel was inches from the redhead's face. A pair of thin lips was stretched into a sly smirk as two steady hands held the guns in place for a few silent minutes, before Sasori covered both the muzzles with his fingers, easily pushing them to the side.

"They aren't loaded, brat."

Deidara's face fell and the playful glint died. His eye, though, widened at the sight of Sasori's mouth quirking in something like a smile. Deidara was astonished to see his Danna express any emotions and turned bright red when he realized he'd been duped just for the other's entertainment.

"You tease, Danna!" Deidara exclaimed, pushing against Sasori's chest with his hands that still held the guns. What he hadn't foreseen was that Sasori would grab his waist to keep balance, thus pulling him down on the bed as well. Deidara's hands gave away and he landed chest-on-chest on Sasori, faces a few inches apart.

Deidara tensed up all over his body, his limbs becoming paralyzed with fear as he waited for a reaction. But it never came and Deidara slowly overcame his trepidation while staring at the redhead's ever stoic face, still in the same position.

Eventually, Deidara couldn't suppress it any longer and a playful smirk twisted his lips. Sasori raised an eyebrow.

"Is this what it feels like to be the Danna?" Deidara asked with a grin that widened once he'd said the words out loud. "To be in control, to be the one giving commands…"

"No, brat..." Deidara watched Sasori's eyes meeting his and then wandering lower. "Because" – Deidara's eye widened and he gasped when he felt sharp teeth sinking into his neck for a brief moment – "if you truly were in control, this could never happen," Sasori finished, his eyes locking with the blue one again.

_Then I never ever want to be in control. _The words whispered through Deidara's mind before he could stop them. But if he was being honest, he didn't want to stop them. What was more - he wanted to say them out loud and let Sasori know, but fear held him back. He could never do it, he knew. He couldn't say anything along those lines out loud to save his life.

Deidara let go of one of the guns and brought his hand up to touch the spot where Sasori had bitten. "You have sharp teeth, Danna," he whispered, sitting up. His smile had died when he'd realized his inability to ever change the situation. It saddened him and he wished for a chance to blurt out his feelings without any regrets.

But that wouldn't happen. And if it was meant to be that way, all he could do was cherish his time with Danna. Which was the reason the next question was the source of most of his trepidation and nightmares. "Danna, if I asked, would you tell me why you need me here?"

With Sasori lying on the bed and Deidara straddling him, it was an odd position to be in, but Deidara didn't care. He longed for an answer, no matter what it'd be. Even death was better than oblivion.

The silence seemed long, longer than Deidara could bear. His expression turned miserable and he bent down again, his warm breath caressing Sasori's pale face softly. "Please, Danna?" he pleaded, feeling like his voice would crack any moment now. "I need to know. I won't try to run away or prevent it no matter what it is, I just need to know!"

"You're the key," Sasori started slowly, breathing in sync with the blond, "to something very… precious to me. Something that was stolen years ago and which I want back."

Deidara's face hadn't cleared. He was going to be used to gain something back, but how? As a sacrifice? A decoy?

"You're not going to die, brat. Stop worrying over things that are yet to happen."

Deidara broke the eye contact. "It's not death I'm scared of," he muttered, eyes tearing up. He didn't want to cry – not in front of Danna, it was embarrassing – but it was a hopeless case. It wasn't something he had control over.

"Then what are you scared of?"

Deidara couldn't answer. He knew what it was deep inside, but couldn't put it into words, let alone say it. He pushed himself up and, leaving the guns on Sasori's bed, walked over to his own bed. He lay down, facing the wall. The last thing he wanted was for Sasori to witness his tears and label him a weakling again.

"Brat, if you feel bored, go downstairs and tell the receptionist to have two horses ready for us at 8 am."

It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. Solemnly, Deidara got up and exited the room, making sure his hair covered his face until he got out. It was dark already and candles lit the corridors Deidara walked through. From the window he could see that it was pitch-black already outside as well. Probably around mid-night, he guessed.

Having found the receptionist and fulfilled his orders, Deidara headed back upstairs again. He found the right door and opened it without knocking, surprised at the absence of Sasori. Neither he nor his leather bag was anywhere to be seen and Deidara wondered where he could've gone to.

Deciding to just wait for him, he plopped down on his bed, pulling the covers over himself so they'd cover his head also. He wanted the redhead to return as soon as possible, but at the same time, he dreaded the moment he'd have to face him and his own feelings brought on by him again.

He was so tired of having to keep up a calm appearance, when inside he felt like screaming. He was so tired both physically and emotionally and just longed for some rest. Deidara could feel his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier and finally falling shut, ready to greet sleep.

He was snapped out of it by the sound of the door opening and he pushed the covers off his head in a flash. His eyes darted to the door.

But the one who entered wasn't Sasori.

Deidara believed the man's name was Kisame who had just entered and was now staring at him wide-eyed, his jaw hanging open. He took a moment to blink a few times, processing what he was seeing to get his ability to speak back.

"Lubber? What's yer business here?" (_A/N: Just to remind you, 'lubber' stood for 'land lover'.) _

From force of habit Deidara's throat clamped shut instantly, even though it probably wasn't the best if he wanted to improve the situation. Kisame frowned and his hand touched the handle of his sword, when there was another knock on the door.

Just as Kisame turned around to answer it, Deidara hid under the cover again, keeping a small, unnoticeable opening so he'd be able to see. He saw Kisame back down a little and two men, dressed in black, made their way in. The sudden recognition made Deidara gasp and he tried to muffle the sound. He'd seen the same men in the bar and following him and Danna earlier that day.

Kisame looked annoyed by the group of unwanted visitors. "Now what is _yer _doings here?"

The men didn't speak, but exchanged a few looks, before the taller one drew out a gun. Both Kisame's and Deidara's eyes widened at the sight, and Deidara had to press a hand against his mouth to stop himself from making a sound.

Kisame raised his palms, taking a couple of steps back. "Now now, mates. Why so hasty?"

The men didn't seem to be listening as they nodded at each other again and the one man raised the gun higher, so the muzzle was pointed straight at Kisame's forehead. Before the pirate could get out another word, a loud shot made Deidara jump and Kisame fell down on the floor, blood flowing out of his head.

Deidara was afraid to move or even breathe as he watched the man kick Kisame to see if he'd move and then put his gun away. He turned to his partner and the next words he said almost succeeded in making Deidara puke.

"What about the spy?"

Deidara didn't see or hear the answer, but the next thing he knew, the blanket had been pulled off him and he was facing the edge of a sharp, steel sword. He could hear a dull scream and it took him a few seconds to realize that it had come from his own mouth.

He had retreated as much as possible and was now pressed against the wall with his back, the blade making his way down his cheek to his neck in a smooth movement. Deidara's heart skipped beats and he couldn't breathe, drops of cold sweat running down his forehead to his eye.

He could feel blood running down his neck and he closed his eyes, knowing there was no way out. He didn't think of the corpse lying a few meters from him on the floor. He didn't see his whole life flashing before his eyes. The only thing he wanted was a chance to apologize to Sasori. He hadn't been able to fulfill his orders. He was a weakling after all.

He forced his mind to bring back the memory when he'd laid on Sasori, because that was the only moment of happiness he could remember at the moment. He wanted it to be the last thing he'd think of before leaving for good. Not the eyes of the cold blooded murderers, at least not these ones. He wanted to see the eyes of Sasori, murderer or not.

As he sucked in his final breath, a tear running down his cheek and dropping on his shirt, he could hear two more shots. Then voices. Then a short scream, but this time, he was sure it hadn't been him. And for some odd reason, he was still sitting, in control of his own body. More or less.

"Brat, get up." Deidara didn't have time to think he was dreaming, because a sharp slap against his cheek made him realize he was more awake than perhaps he would've wanted to be. A pair of strong hands clasped his arms and brought him to his feet, which felt wobbly, as though they were too weak to bear his weight.

It was then that Deidara's eyes finally flew open. In the darkness – someone had blown out the candles – he could easily make out the silhouette of Sasori's round, pale face. Never in his life had he ever been so happy to see anything – animate or not.

But he couldn't smile. The shock had taken the ability to move his own body from him. All he could do was stare and take in the redhead's face, which had to be enough for the moment. After all, this had been his last wish.

"Brat, we need to go. _Now." _

Deidara wanted to oblige. He wanted to smile and say 'yes, Danna' and follow him, but he couldn't and he hated himself for that. Why couldn't he control his body when his Danna wanted him to? Why, just why?

Sasori gave a harsh sigh and wrapped his arms around the blond, lifting him off the ground, and rushed out the door. The rest Deidara didn't witness. It had become too much for him and he'd fainted.

Grabbing the leather bag from the corridor, Sasori rushed down the stairs to the foyer. Can't say that the receptionist wasn't surprised at the sight, but Sasori didn't let it bother him.

"Take the bag of coins from room 15 and you were deaf and blind this whole night."

The receptionist nodded, but Sasori didn't stay around to see it. He rushed to the stable, laying Deidara on the ground while he prepared the finest horse he could spot. It took a little effort to get the unconscious blond up on the back of the horse without either of them falling down, but once he managed, they were galloping out into the dark night at full speed.

He saw no one on their way. The streets were either empty, or the ones who were out, were hidden in the darkness just like them. Cold night air made the hairs on his skin bristle, but he couldn't care less. He appreciated the warmth that the blond gave him and for the moment, that was all the warmth he needed.

He made the horse stop in front of a bar that still had light in its windows. The horse emitted a loud nasal sound, but obeyed without much fuss. Sasori was just about to start figuring out how he was going to get down with the blond, when he felt the boy move against his chest. A baby blue eye flew open and Sasori had to support his back so he wouldn't fall down.

"Danna?"

_Of course, his first word at just about everything, _Sasori thought, mentally smirking. He'd trained him well.

"Wake up brat, it's about time you moved on your own feet."

"Why did you bring us here?" Deidara asked, glancing around, even though there wasn't much to see in the darkness.

"I figured it would be less suspicious than sleeping next to a room where three dead bodies are found."

Deidara took a minute to take in what he'd just heard. "Wait, _three _bodies?" he stared at Sasori, trying to read something off his face. With little success, of course. "Why did you kill those two?"

"They couldn't follow the orders given to them correctly."

Was it just Deidara, or had a homicidal tone entered Sasori's voice? Either way, he didn't feel afraid, even though the matter irked him much more than he would've liked. "_Whose _orders, Danna?" he asked, feeling Sasori shift against him. It was only then he realized he'd been resting against the other this whole time.

"I'm getting cold here, brat. Let's get inside."

Deidara didn't dare to disobey when Sasori was speaking in a voice as strict as this one. He hopped off the horse, hearing Sasori land shortly after. The redhead tied the horse to the post and took his bag, before opening the door to the bar and walking inside. Deidara followed.

The tables were mostly empty, only a few men could be seen asleep on the benches. Deidara sat down behind a table in the corner while Sasori went to talk with the cashier and arrange it so that someone would take care of his horse. Wherever he had gotten it from.

The redhead returned shortly with two bottles in both his hands. He set them down on the table, saying to the blond: "Remember that this time you can drink without my permission." He didn't smile nor did his voice sound any different, but it made Deidara feel warm on the inside, even if he was actually shivering.

He reached out and opened the first bottle, drinking from it since he'd been given no glass. Sasori sat down next to him, leaning against the wall and following Deidara's example. He closed his eyes, regretting having to spend the night on a bench rather than in a bed. But if anyone had found them in the vicinity of those dead bodies, they would've been arrested and most probably hung. It was unlikely the receptionist would hold his tongue, but by the time he'd be able to describe him and the brat to the detectives, they would be on the ship and sailing away already.

An odd sound of sobbing made Sasori open his eyes and look to his side. He was surprised to see Deidara covering his mouth with his hand, shivering and looking a lot paler than usual. He looked nauseous and definitely not well. It looked serious.

It made Sasori want to cuss. He had little idea of how to take care of a human being, much less of what to do when someone was in a condition like this. Sasori had bent forward and put down the bottle, eyeing the blond nervously, even if the emotion didn't show on his face. The only possible reason he could think of was an aftershock, but what was one supposed to do to help at a time like this?

"Brat?" Sasori put his hand on Deidara's back, the blond's shivering making his own hand vibrate as well. "Do you hear me? What's wrong?" His voice sounded edgy even to himself.

Deidara looked at him with a wide watery eye. Even if he'd attempted to speak, nothing came out and Sasori was forced to watch him helplessly as he sobbed and shook, one hand on his mouth, one hand hugging his waist, rocking back and forth like a lunatic.

Acting instinctively, Sasori wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight and trying to steady him. The blond buried his face in the crook of his Danna's neck, his sobs sounding a lot louder now that he was closer to the redhead's ear.

Sasori lifted him off the bench and onto his lap, trying to soothe him by slowly rocking back and forth in a steady rhythm. He was afraid to admit it, but it felt like he was doing it for more than he'd intended at the beginning. It was still confusing – did he want the brat to be well so he could use him to get back what belonged to him, or was it because he didn't want the brat to suffer?

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself to put the blond down, he couldn't help waiting until the sobs had stopped and the boy was sleeping peacefully. And even then he didn't have what it took to let go of him. An hour or two (or more) passed by with Sasori just sitting there and thinking, holding Deidara in his arms.

He wasn't even sure what he was doing and why he was doing it anymore. That was a first. He couldn't explain why he had to caress the brat from time to time, why he sometimes held his breath just to see whether he could still hear the blond's breathing, why he couldn't let the boy go and set him down on the bench. It was the first time thoughts about some_one _were keeping him awake.

It was only after the rising sun had already tinted the lower half of the sky pink that Sasori could finally close his eyes and drift off, hands still wrapped around the blond boy.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Finally! I'm back to this fic! What, no cheers?_

_Okay, this chappie is packed with author's notes, but they're all to make it easier for you. God knows I have better things to do than write A/Ns... heh heh... *nervous laugh* Of course I do..._

_In case anyone's interested, the song Deidara sings is 'Hoist the Colours'. I don't own it. I bet some, if not most, recognize the movie it's from. Let me know, if you do? Haha yeah, I'm only begging for reviews under cover. Which is totally unnecessary because I've been gifted with more reviews than I could ever ask for. Way more than I probably deserve o_o _

_I don't know how to thank my reviewers. I never even knew so many people knew how to write reviews. Ehh... I'm bad at thanks of this sorts. Um. Thank you? _

_I was thinking I could set 'In Between Madness and Life' aside for a little and work on this fic a lot more for a change... but I can't make you any promises in fear that I might break them. But I do appreciate ALL the reviews :'3_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7<strong>_

Cough. Cough.

Cough.

Silence.

Cough.

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH.

"Sasori, WILL YOU QUIET THAT DOG ALREADY, FOR PITY'S SAKE? MY GRANDMA DIED MORE QUIETLY!"

Hidan wasn't the only one who was glaring at the redhead like he'd just praised the British government. The whole situation where the sailors were forced to sit in a harbor pub with the coughing and generally disliked blond was getting on everyone's nerves. Even Sasori's, although he wasn't annoyed by the blond.

Only the old barman was happy because of the gallons of rum it took to keep the men steady and calm. After half an hour, he could already be heard commanding his wife to bring in more rum from the cellar.

"I-I'm sorry, Danna," Deidara whispered between coughs, sounding like he about to suffocate. He pressed a linen handkerchief against his mouth in an attempt to muffle the hacks, but with little success. He still caught sight of the captain casting him a disgusted look from the other side of the pub. Deidara cast his eyes down immediately.

Sasori didn't say anything. He'd kept silent ever since they'd been trapped in the pub by the thunder storm. Ignoring the comments by his comrades, he stared at the dark brown bottle in front of him while he wasn't drinking from it. He ignored Deidara, even though with a sharp eye one might've noticed him wincing from time to time at the dry coughs. Soon they began to sound like someone was strangling the blond.

Once Sasori felt like he couldn't take it anymore, he reached out towards the blond, holding the bottle of rum in his hand. Deidara took it quietly, gripping the neck of the bottle weakly as he bent back his head and gulped down the liquid, wordlessly following Sasori's unvoiced order. It had become his second nature.

The burning drink burnt Deidara's throat and felt so good. It tasted like poison, but with a healing effect. For once in such a long time, Deidara felt warmth spreading throughout his body, eventually becoming hot in the stomach. The alcohol that flowed into his blood filled him with a warm fuzzy feeling, making him dizzy. He placed the bottle back down on the table, closing his eyes and leaning forward.

His body rested against Sasori's, who acted like he hadn't noticed it. Deidara's coughs, though, turned quieter and were eventually faded out by the loud noise that was the sea song of drunken sailors. Whether yelling, barking and screeching can be called a song, we'll leave it up to the reader to decide.

After getting all the warmth sucked into his body with the rum, Deidara fell asleep in a matter of seconds, his head falling onto Sasori's lap. The shanty was like a lullaby to him, filling his senses even when his eyes were closed. It helped his breathing return to normal. (A/N: Shanty is a sea song.)

Sasori paid Deidara no mind, the weigh on his thighs making zero difference to him. He took the bottle on drunk up what the blond couldn't, letting the familiar warmth fill his own body also. He could feel it chasing out the shivers from his body that traced up to his finger tips. Sasori bent back against the wall, letting his eyes fall shut. The alcohol made his ears ring and he couldn't hear the chanting of his comrades, yet somehow Deidara's even breathing he could still catch. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

It was only in the early hours of the morning that the storm faded away, letting the pirates hoist the flag and finally set sail. Madara had given orders to sail east and had headed into his personal, luxurious compartment with all the golden edge chairs and laced pillows. Every other seaman had gotten to work, knowing their responsibilities without anyone telling them. Whether it was to steer the ship or scrub the deck, they knew.

Back in the compartment and in the old routine, Deidara sat on Danna's bed, carving figures into the wooden wall while waiting - always waiting. He didn't find joy in cleaning the room anymore like he had before they'd visited the mainland. However, he had picked up something interesting on the trip. Something that was stuck in his head like 'Call me maybe' would be four centuries later in everyone else's. (A/N: Har Har… forgive me.)

A song. A formidable song.

"_The king and his men stole the queen from her bed and bound her in her bones. The seas be ours and by the powers, where we will we'll roam," _Deidara sung quietly – so quietly, it was merely a whisper – and kept scraping the lines of the skull in the wall deeper. "_Yo-ho, all hands, hoist the colors high. Heave-ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."_

"It's a dangerous song you're singing, brat," Sasori said from the doorway, viewing the young man sitting on his bed. "I don't know much about families, but your parents wouldn't be proud, did they hear you sing this."

Turning his head to look at the redhead, Deidara looked like he was half-asleep as the blade in his hand ran deeper and deeper in the wall. He didn't seem to be seeing what was in front of him. "What is life without danger, Danna? What is danger without life – something worth putting at risk? Which one is more important?"

The words were generally the same Sasori heard from Deidara's mouth after he'd sung the song. Random questions that the redhead failed to see the point in. Disregarding what he viewed as indistinct blabber, Sasori sat down on a chair and said: "Every hangman knows this song's lyrics by heart. Doesn't this make the melody repulsive to you?" (A/N: In case some don't catch on, many convicts sung this song before they were executed. Hence every hangman knows the song.)

Deidara turned his head back to face the wall. "_The bell has been raised from its watery grave, hear its sepulchral tone. A call to all, pay heed the squall and turn your sails to home. Yo-ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave-ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."_

Sasori took it as a no. Slightly shaking his head, he got up from the chair and went out of the room. Recently he'd started visiting the brat more, but the brat on the other hand had grown more and more distant. Sometimes it felt like he wasn't there at all, even though he was sitting a meter from him. Deidara always looked thoughtful now. It bothered Sasori to some extent.

The brat had been singing the song ever since they'd gotten back. Something about the way he sang it made Sasori feel slightly uneasy. He'd never taken the blond for someone to bow willingly to the King, but to have him say those words… Was he trying to prove something?

A sigh escaped Sasori's lips as he opened a door that made way to a corridor he was yet to introduce to the blond. He trod through the dimness, his shoes making dull thumping sounds on the damp wooden floor. He walked towards the light coming from the window at the end of the corridor, but voices coming from behind a shut door made him halt.

He wouldn't have bothered eavesdropping, hadn't he found it odd. It was highly unusual for his comrades to talk in the compartments or even spend any of their spare time in them because of the claustrophobic smallness. They were meant to be slept in, no more, no less. Many avoided doing even that and, choosing falling asleep in the dining room instead, always left their compartments completely empty. That was the reason the corridors on this side of the ship were nearly always empty.

But there was no mistaking two hushed voices speaking in one of the rooms. The fact hinted that the individuals would've preferred not being overheard.

Well, Sasori was more than happy to ruin that plan.

He listened more carefully, locating the compartment the voices were coming from. He stopped behind the door, pressing his ear against the hard wooden surface. Much to his luck, the rooms didn't keep the sounds in too well. 17th century quality.

A pair of dark brown eyes widened when Captain Madara's voice was recognized speaking.

"I thought I _told_ you to mind your own business until the matter solved itself." He sounded annoyed and was partly hissing. Sasori could've made a long list of the possible reasons, but decided to listen to get the exact information.

"Nothing, Captain, gets solved without any help in this godforsaken world." Was it Orochimaru, a dark-haired and irritable man, talking in such a whining tone to the Captain of the ship? "And it's not only _that dog, _but his bloody obstinate protector, too! Both of them are giving me a worse headache than a bullet in my brain. I wouldn't be surprised if that shark bait hid in the cellar with rum bottles with his mongrel during the next attack." He let out a sharp laugh. "Otherwise he may get a scratch, or even killed, that swab." (A/N: Swab is an insult used in pirate slang.)

Sasori's eyes narrowed at the wave of insults addressed at him. Never had any of the pirates witnessed a cowardly act on his part, and they none would live long enough to see one either. At least he now knew who he'd kill at the first chance he got. His palms were already itching and longing for a barker to hold. (A/N: Barker = pistol)

"Calm that head of yours or cut it off, poxy. He won't be here for the next full moon. That ought to pipe you down. Now get out of my sight!" (A/N: Poxy is an insult. Means 'diseased'.)

Sasori moved quickly and backed down behind an empty and unlocked compartment door across the corridor. He listened closely for the two sets of footsteps to fade away in two different directions. Meanwhile he took some time to think.

He was going to have to speed up the plan, if he wanted to make it, he decided. Something about it filled him with an uncomfortable feeling that was somewhere between anxiousness and remorse. Sasori flashed to the young blond for the briefest moment. Was he feeling regret for having to let the brat go?

-x-

That night Sasori couldn't sleep. Lying in his bed, he stared into the darkness while listening to the blond's usually shallow breathing and unsuccessfully muffled coughs. He felt like a knife was cutting through him when he heard those unhealthy sounds, and the knife's blade was sharpened when he thought that the blond was probably cold right now. All thanks to _him_. What a luxurious life Deidara would've been living, had they not raided his parent's ship… Sasori did his best to push that thought out of his head.

He tried thinking more practically.

Giving Deidara an extra blanket wouldn't help – the floor was too moist and cold, it would've affected anyone's health. No wonder the blond looked so weak. Sasori would have too, had he been forced to live in conditions like that.

But the only possible alternative to improve the situation would've been then…

Sasori sighed. He rolled over to his side and reached out to where he knew Deidara would be lying. He touched the blond's face and felt him wince.

"Brat?"

"Y-yes, Danna?" Deidara asked in the darkness. He sounded uncertain.

"Come up here."

Sasori was half-expecting to hear blond to argue back. The training Sasori'd put him through would've caused a conflict within Deidara, so he was curious to find out which part of him would win. Arguing would've been humanly and natural, but…

Sasori heard Deidara stand up and a second later the young male was sitting on his knees beside his Danna, the small ray of light that'd managed to get in from the window reflecting from his eye. Sasori felt as though something was squeezing his insides at the sight and he stayed silent for a long moment.

He felt doubt. Was this the right thing to do?

Deidara waited without saying anything. His heart was beating loudly, but his fear that the redhead would be able to hear it only existed in his mind and never came true.

Truth be told, Sasori was proud of himself for even being able to second-guess his own actions, but this didn't mean that he actually considered backing down. Swiftly moving, he pushed the blond down onto the bed and pulled the cover over him. For a moment he wished to see Deidara's face – the brat must've been shocked. Sasori lied down on his back, not able to close his eyes. Should he go as far as to pull Deidara closer?

Then he heard the other blow out a shaky breath and realized how cold the figure lying next to him seemed. Like a corpse. He couldn't compare it to snow, since he'd never seen snow with his own eyes.

"Deidara?" Sasori asked, worry tinting his voice. He didn't even realize he'd called the blond by his real name, it had come out without him choosing to. There was no answer. The worry grew, and so did the anxiousness. Why wasn't he getting an answer? What was wrong with Deidara?

All of a sudden, Sasori had sat up and was bending over the boy, his hand groping the desk by the bed for something. He soon found it and the next thing Deidara knew, a light had been lit on the wall. He glanced around, confused, before his eyes met the redhead's.

"S-sasori?" Deidara said gingerly, forgetting all about adding 'no Danna' to the end of it. He felt a gentle finger caress his cheek and give his chin a soft poke. It was a weird and shocking feeling, but nowhere near the weirdness that was the strange warmth emitted into his body by the touch.

"You're cold," Sasori stated, and with no further warning, bent down and pressed his lips against the blond's. He heard the younger one gasp. Parting his slightly, Sasori waited for Deidara's lips to move as well. And they did. Slowly as ever, they did, and the two felt like they'd melted into one.

Sasori's hand moved up to Deidara's ear, cupping his face like it was something extremely fragile. Deidara found himself leaning into the touch. Their lips moved together slowly, a thin line of saliva connecting their lips as Sasori pulled away. He didn't smile, but his expression was soft and considering.

"Good night, Deidara."

Since then, changes interrupted their usual routine and the blond never slept on the floor anymore. It wasn't 'brat' anymore, it was 'Deidara'. It wasn't 'Danna' anymore, either, it was 'Sasori'. A faint ray of equality had made its way into the dark sea of the master and domestic relationship.

But two rules never changed – Deidara followed every order, even the unvoiced ones, and he never spoke to anyone else but Sasori.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	8. Chapter 8

****_A quick update - surprised?_

_I had some time to think and came to the conclusion that I'd been too nice and kind to you yesterday when uploading the seventh chapter. Giving you all fluff and shit. Hah._

_So I decided to give you an additional chapter with a cliffhanger. /shot (( *scumbag author* ))_

_I hope this chapter teaches you all to cherish sweet and fluffy kisses and moments, and not long for smut all the time, you pervs. (Look who's talking. *just finished writing a smut scene for another story* )_

_Enjoy._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8<strong>_

Deidara woke up late in the morning. Not being aware of the time, he rolled onto his stomach, expecting to land on Sasori, but instead landing on messy sheets. The other side of the bed was empty. Deidara opened his eye.

"Sasori?" he called out, still partly living in the dream he'd been absorbed in seconds ago. He propped himself on his elbows and looked around anxiously in the room, his face clearing up once he saw a familiar figure bending over the metal casket, rummaging through its contents. Deidara smiled and plopped down on the pillow, letting his eye rest on the redhead. "Good morning, Sasori."

Sasori didn't response. He kept rooting until he found a strip of dirty, used to be white cloth. He took one end of it between his teeth and wrapped it around his wrist – which was bleeding, if Deidara's eye wasn't belying him – then tied it into a tight knot. Finished, he shut the casket and stood up, walking over to the bed, his stoic eyes on the blond.

Deidara knew he'd been meaning to ask about the wound, but the words had faded in his throat under the intimate gaze of the redhead. He flipped onto his back.

Resting his one knee on the bed, Sasori trapped the blond between his two hands and leant down to place a tender kiss on Deidara's lips. The younger male had closed his eyes immediately and looped a hand around Sasori's neck, pulling him slightly closer. He couldn't have felt happier. Never would, he knew. And that was fine by him, since this moment was everything he would've expected from heaven.

Sasori pulled away very slowly. He'd almost completely departed, before pecking the slim lips in front of him one more time. Deidara's fringe had fallen out of the way and was now revealing the black eye patch that covered his damaged eye. Sasori bit his lip at the sight. Was this a good idea after all…?

"Sasori, there is something bothering you and on your mind," Deidara marked, examining the redhead's face carefully. It was a miracle he was able to read anything off that stoic face and could've only been the result of a long-term observance.

Sasori sighed. "Do you want to come up to the deck with me? Now?" He knew he had to leave and couldn't stay in this room for long, but the urge to keep the blond near him was just too big to resist, so he made up excuses for himself – like how it would be better for the boy's health, if he saw the sunlight more often than once a month.

Deidara's face lit up, even though he didn't smile. He only nodded eagerly and pulled himself up a little to connect their lips again. If this was happiness for him, who could've blamed him for not getting enough of it?

"But you're going to take the pistols with you," Sasori said after they'd pulled apart again. "Because this rule remains – I'm holding you personally responsible if you get hurt. After I'm done cutting the bastard who hurt you to pieces, I'm going to think up a punishment for you."

"Won't it get me to trouble with the captain, if I kill one of his men?" Deidara asked carefully.

"Madara isn't your concern and he won't even notice if one or two or three of his men disappear. Chuck them off the board and all is good." Sasori leant in for another kiss and Deidara returned it eagerly.

After he got up, Sasori pulled out a bag from behind the bed. He took out the two guns he'd bought for Deidara and set them on the table. He also took out a jar and poured some gunpowder into both of the guns. Specks of black crumbs fell on the table, but Sasori brushed them off with his hand. Having loaded the guns, he then closed the jar and placed it back in the bag that he pushed under the bed.

Gripping the barrels, Sasori held the two guns out for the blond. Deidara took them and regarded the weapons in his hands carefully. His mouth quirked in a smile.

"Sa-so-ri…" Deidara drawled, pointing one of the guns at the redhead and the other at his own temple. "What if I shoot, hm? You can't say they aren't loaded now that I've seen you load them."'

Sasori didn't feel threatened by the gun pointed at him. It wasn't his first time and he was convinced that he was experienced enough to foresee the moment the blond would actually pull the trigger and be able to duck. What actually bothered him was the pistol pointing at Deidara's temple. It was difficult for him to understand the younger male's way of thinking.

Sasori's face turned hard. "Deidara, put them away or I'll take those toys away from you and you'll be left in this room on your own."

This managed to dismay the blond. Unwillingly, he lowered both of the guns and tucked them in the sash tied around his waist. He followed Sasori out the room and up to the deck.

It was a sunny day. The sun was bright up in the sky, shining down lightly at the more or less working seamen. The truth was that no one seemed to be actually working, aside from the cockswain steering the ship on the poop deck. Everyone else acted as though they were taking a day off.

Deidara secretly hoped that the laziness that radiated off every pirate on the deck would prevent him from getting into any serious trouble.

Sasori didn't seem to think things would live up to the blond's hopes, or at least his precautions didn't give away any easiness. He guided Deidara to a solitary corner of the deck where tall barrels blocked them from the view of others. He let the blond sit down and squatted beside him.

They didn't speak for some time. Deidara took deep breaths and enjoyed the feeling of outdoors as much as he could. When his eyes weren't on Sasori, they tended to wander off to the beauty that was the dark, calm sea. He let out a sigh of happiness.

"Is this what you do when you're not in the compartment?" Deidara asked teasingly. "Sit on the deck and daydream?"

"You forgot whistling. I whistle and smile up at the clear sky," Sasori joked with a serious face, deciding to play along.

Deidara laughed quietly. It was an amazingly soothing sound in Sasori's opinion. He wished to hear more of it. Thoughtfully, he let his eyes rest on the blond.

Said blond was playing with a strand of his hair. He seemed to be thinking hard about something or considering it when looking at the ground, but then finally raised his gaze to meet the redhead's. "Um, Sasori? How long have you been on this ship?" Deidara sounded a little nervous, as though he was afraid of the redhead's reaction. Which was almost certainly the case.

Sasori seemed to be lost in thought, though, and wasn't listening, even though he was staring right at the other male. A hand reached out and gently took a hold of the younger male's chin. Sasori was pulling him forward and Deidara, dazzled by Sasori's eyes, leaned forward without thinking.

The distance was too big, though. While Deidara was nearing, he'd forgotten to bring his hands with him for support, hence instead of a kiss on the lips, Sasori received a hit against his knee when the blond lost balance and fell forward, hitting his head. Sasori frowned.

But Deidara burst out laughing, pushing himself up quickly and rubbing his forehead. "Haha, sorry, Sasori no Danna." He gave the other an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I'm quite clumsy."

"You're such a brat," the redhead muttered. Despite his solemn expression, Sasori wasn't angry. He could hardly even hear the blond apologizing, that's how deeply he was lost in thoughts. Plans and _worries _clouded his mind. He couldn't allow himself get close like this, he thought, in spite of his recent actions. How was he supposed to let the brat go later, if he was already growing so attached to him? A heavy sigh escaped his mouth and he cast his eyes down.

Deidara was confused. Was his Danna spacing out? He didn't even seem to be fully aware that he was there too. Deidara frowned and waved a hand in front of his face, but got no reaction. What the bloody hell? Had he managed to piss him off already?

"Um, Sasori?" he called, still waving his hand. "Danna? Hello? I'm still here! Look!"

_I'm still here… I'm still here… _ Those words managed to break through to Sasori and he blinked and looked up, coming out of the daze and looking at Deidara as if this was his first time seeing him. The young male smiled. _I'm still here, _he'd said_. _Sasori thought about it and decided that he was right. Shouldn't he concentrate on what the current moment had to offer, instead of worrying about what was yet to happen? If he remembered correctly, that was exactly what he'd once told the blond to do…

Sasori livened up and swiftly caught Deidara in a passionate kiss. He sat down on the floor, pulling the blond onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around him in a protecting manner. Deidara couldn't have been more pleased. He let out a childish giggle and looped his arms around Sasori's neck, running a hand up his head to play with the scarlet red hair.

"Sasori?" Deidara breathed once they'd pulled apart again. "Why are we – no, why are _you _on this ship?"

Much to the blond's relief, Sasori didn't look annoyed by the question. His reactions were something Deidara could often not foresee and it scared him to some extent.

This time around Sasori only quirked an eyebrow at him. "Where else would I be?" he asked.

Deidara blushed a little and his gaze move down to Sasori's neck in a clear attempt to avoid the brown eyes. "Oh, I don't know… somewhere on land… or a legal ship… " He paused for a moment, then added so quietly that Sasori nearly missed it: "_With me…"_

The redhead found this kind of amusing, though, and Deidara cast him a demanding look for the low chuckle he heard. "You're still such a brat," Sasori said.

Deidara frowned. "I thought we were past this?"

Sasori shrugged. "I never called you a brat, it was a statement. There's a difference."

Deidara thought about it for a moment, then pushed it out of his head. "You're avoiding my question," he accused. "Why here?"

"There's food and the sea – why shouldn't I be here?"

Deidara looked at him as though he was missing something very obvious. "The danger, perhaps?" he hinted, once fully sure Sasori wouldn't be able to catch on, on his own.

"What danger?"

Deidara's eyebrow lowered. "You're joking." When Sasori shook his head, he said: "I haven't been allowed to walk on the deck during daylight for months, this is my first time. And even now I'm carrying two loaded guns. If it's not because of danger, then why? Are you simply aroused by young males carrying weapons?" The last sentence had slipped out before Deidara really got the chance to consider it and he regretted saying it immediately, a blush tinting his cheeks before he fully managed to hide behind his fringe.

Sasori made nothing of it, though. Instead he said: "Dangerous for _you, _not me."

Deidara's face fell without Sasori seeing it, since it was hidden behind the fringe. Up until now, he'd only thought why _they _were still there, but Sasori only used a singular form. It saddened him. Therefore he asked: "What about me? Why am I still here then, if it's so dangerous?"

This was a bad topic, Deidara sensed. Yet he could never get around it, since it bothered him day and night. His stomach heaved at the thought of what he'd just said, but it got worse when he heard Sasori's answer:

"You won't be here for long, don't worry."

And silently, the redhead pressed his lips against the blond's again. Deidara returned the kiss, but with anguish making him want to cry on the inside. He felt his closed eyes tearing up and hoped that none of the teardrops would reach Sasori. He just hoped this moment would last forever, or that he'd be dead after it ended.

The kiss continued until an indistinct yell sounded from behind the barrels and Sasori pulled away, looking around with narrowed eyes.

"I'd better go and see what's going on," he muttered, letting go of the blond.

Deidara looked sad, but got off his legs silently. Sasori was still peering above the barrels when muttering "I'll be right back," and walking off. Deidara was left there sitting alone.

He sat quietly for some time, until he heard more yelling. Curiosity and fear got the best of him and he stood up swiftly, taking a peek at the deck.

The first thing that caught his eye was captain Madara, standing in the middle of the floor, looking excessively angry. He was holding a pistol in one hand, which was pointed at the ground for the time being, and the grip of his sword in another. He was holding an eye contact with Sasori who said:

"We should be heading to the British waters! There's a much likelier chance getting good loot from there than here! Why are you making your crew _wait _for a prey; don't you want it?"

Now, Deidara was far from an expert when it came to pirate traditions, but this sounded hardly the tone to speak in to the captain, in his opinion. And it seemed like a lot of the seamen, unknowingly, agreed with him, while making some noise.

Deidara noticed that Madara was about to say something, when-

"SHIP IN SIGHT!" someone yelled from the poop deck, livening up the atmosphere immediately. All of a sudden, everyone seemed to be busy, and Sasori and Madara, who still glared at each other for a long moment, got moving as well. Deidara quickly squatted, moving away from the barrels.

Shortly after, Sasori showed up and, without giving a bit of explanation, rushed him across the deck to the door that opened to the corridor the blond was familiar with.

"Stay out of sight," Sasori told him and shoved him in, closing the door quickly and hurrying away.

Deidara stared at the door and kept thinking. No matter how hard he tried to push the worries out of his head, he couldn't deny the fact that he was _scared. _What if Sasori got hurt? What if a bullet hit him? What if he couldn't dodge quickly enough? What if he got kil-

Deidara didn't allow himself to even finish that last thought in his head.

Then the ship shook, catching him off guard and sending him flying against one wall with a quiet 'ow'. He realized he still hadn't hidden himself. Sasori would've been so angry… but the cannon fire that had just started paralyzed him and didn't let him move. _What was happening? _In all his terror he couldn't remember whether there'd been any cannons when their ship had gotten attacked. Fear almost completely overwhelmed him.

Then he did something that he most certainly shouldn't have done – he opened the door. Only slightly, though, to have a small crack he could see through and check on Sasori.

There was a lot of people running about on the deck, but all of them Deidara recognized. He guessed none of the victims had been brought there, yet. Why should've they? That was what came at the very end, or at least as far as he was concerned. To be honest, he wasn't concerned very far, since the only pirate attack he'd ever witnessed had knocked him unconscious for the latter half of it.

Then he saw the man.

At first, Deidara thought he was just spacing out like Sasori had earlier that day, but dismissed it as ridiculous right after. Spacing out in the middle of an attack? Please. Then what w_as _he looking at?

The man with long dark hair – even longer than Madara's – was looking solely at him, ignoring the chaos going on around him. Deidara naively hoped he'd soon turn away, but after five minutes, he was still staring. And then he started nearing.

Maneuvering past the hustling pirates, he made his way straight to the blond. Deidara wanted to slam the door closed right in his face, but was too shocked to do anything. It wouldn't have kept him out for long, anyway, since there was no lock. But would've it slowed him down, at least?

"Little mongrel, we finally meet…"

Deidara took a step back, his hands searching for the pistols that had to be s_omewhere… _but he couldn't find them. Not as fast as the dark-haired man drew out a gun of his own, at least.

"Don't move," the man warned, pointing the pistol threateningly at Deidara. "I've been waiting for this moment." He moved in closer, but then halted, the muzzle already pressed against the blond's shirt. Curiously he tilted his head to one side, his narrow eyes looking interested. "I wonder what that poxy sees in you…" he mused out loud.

Deidara didn't have the time to reply. Actually, he didn't even have the time to _think _about a reply, since a sharp, cutting sound made him yelp. His eye was wide and staring solely at the dark-haired man, before the body fell backwards. The head – that had gotten disconnected, Deidara realized with a sudden wave of nausea - dropped on the floor and rolled to a stop at his feet.

Deidara wanted to scream, but nothing came out. He wanted to tear his gaze away, but couldn't, from the blood-covered pale face that was lying right before him. When he did, though, he found Sasori standing in front of him, holding a sharp sword in his hand.

Seeing him calmed the blond instantly, making him all but forget about the dead body. To be able to see that he was still alive… nothing else could've mattered.

Deidara was waiting for a reprimand or a threat out of his Danna's mouth, but none of that came. Sasori watched him silently, then turned away and was about to leave wordlessly, heading back to the chaos.

But Deidara couldn't leave it at that. He couldn't let him leave this way. Jumping over the beheaded corpse, he grabbed Sasori from behind, making him turn back.

"Please, promise me you'll be safe," Deidara whispered, desperately pressing his lips against the redhead's.

Sasori replied with a kiss, his one hand that wasn't holding a sword looped around the boy's waist.

Then there was a shot and both of them froze instantly. Deidara couldn't make sense of what was happening, before he heard the sword drop from the redhead's hand and felt the hold around him loosen. In a flash, realization thundered through the blond.

Sasori had been shot.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_It's 2 am and the disturbing prostitution advertisements have come on on TV. Alrighty then..**.** I wrote one number down in case anyone's interested: 900 90 52 You're welcome._

_I think we have developed quite a nice love/hate relationship between me and yourselves, readers. I literally have a total of 19 people crying to me, cursing me, insulting me and/or threatening to kill me at this point. I was called a jerk, a cruel/horrible person, a monster and demon. After all the effort I put into posting two chapters with an interval of mere days. Oh, I love you too guys :3_

_Here's the ninth chapter, totally cliffhanger-free:_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

Deidara had little idea of how he'd managed to get back to the compartment while carrying the nearly unconscious Sasori with him. He remembered closing the door to the corridor and then turning up behind their compartment door. Fortunately, it'd been left unlocked.

He'd laid Sasori down on the bed and checked for pulse. He was definitely still alive, but his breathing was shallow. His white shirt was tinted red from the blood and Deidara feared the worst when ripping it open. Thankfully, after cleaning Sasori's chest with water he'd brought from the bottle on the table, Deidara discovered that the bullet hadn't gone through his chest but his shoulder, and he had the courage to hope that it hadn't hit anything vital.

Now that it had been confirmed, Deidara had no idea what to do, though. He'd never been interested in medicine and cursed himself for that now. What if there was something important he was supposed to do know to save the other's life that he didn't know about? What was he supposed to do?!

Deidara began chewing on his nails. _Think, brat. Think. _Deidara almost smiled momentarily. The voice in his head had sounded exactly like his Danna. His eyes wandered back to Sasori's face that looked paler than usual and worry clouded his mind again.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced his eyes closed and stopped chewing on his nails, making himself focus on _thinking. _Since he didn't have any experience with medicine, all he could count on was logic.

Now, even though it may have sounded stupid, when a bullet went through the body without hitting any vital organs, what could've still made the victim die? _Loss of blood, _Deidara thought. (What else could there be?) And to stop that, he would need to tie the wound as tightly as possible, Deidara concluded. He opened his eyes. _God, oh please, let me be right! _he thought desperately and got up.

Deidara took a hold of Sasori's already torn shirt and tore it to two halves, so he could remove it. He took the knife the redhead kept tucked in his sash and used it to rip a long strip out of the shirt. He then folded it in half and tied it the best he could around Sasori's arm and shoulder. He repeated the action with another strip, believing two would do a better work than one.

Deidara gazed at Sasori when he was done. The redhead was still breathing and the sound of it was what kept Deidara determined and hopeful. He could do it! Both of them could! Sasori just needed some rest and then he'd be fine, the blond kept repeating to himself.

He glanced around in the room to see whether he could find anything that could help Sasori. The only thing of use he spotted was the bottle of water on the table. Deidara didn't want to waste it, so he decided to preserve it for when Sasori woke up (hopefully soon) and needed something to drink.

Deidara sat down on the floor by the bed, placing his hand on top of Sasori's immobile one. He sighed quietly. Yes, everything would be alright; he had to believe so. He rested his head on the bed (he didn't dare to risk putting the weight on Sasori stomach) and ran his finger up and down the redhead's arm, drawing patterns. Oh how he wished for the other to wake up already.

Deidara closed his eyes. He wasn't sure whether he fell asleep for a little or not, but his eyes flickered open at the sound of the door being opened. He straightened up immediately, alarmed by seeing an unfamiliar figure stepping in. Truth was, Deidara recognized the person, but anyone else than Sasori entering this room seemed unfamiliar and off to him.

The figure Deidara easily recognized by the showy clothes and tri-corner black hat was the headman of the ship; captain Madara.

Deidara wasn't sure whether he should've bowed in respect or something. He'd never had to confront anyone on the ship besides Sasori (and Kisame, but that had been only once). He'd never talked to anyone beside Sasori on this ship. He felt a cold shiver of anxiety and terror run down his back like an ice cube.

Madara looked down at the blond with an expression that was surprised at first, but then turned malicious. Deidara felt uncomfortable watching into those cold, _red _eyes, but couldn't turn away either. Involuntarily he moved closer to the unconscious redhead.

Deidara felt relief when that set of eyes darted away from him, but felt ill at ease when he saw them look Sasori up and down. For some reason, Deidara felt the sudden urge to protect his Danna from those eyes; they were so cold, malicious and _poisonous – _there was no better way to describe them. Deidara wanted the eyelids to fall shut.

"You almost slipped my mind," Madara said, shifting his gaze back to Deidara. The blond gulped. The man's face was completely expressionless; all the emotion was stored in his eyes, but it was enough to make Deidara pale. "I should've known you would be here, nursing the corpse."

Deidara winced. "He's not dead," he whispered, his voice shaky. "He'll live."

Madara cocked his head to one side. "Maybe. If only he weren't on this ship."

"What do you mean?"

"This ship isn't taking any passengers, lubber," Madara said, drawling the last word. "He won't be able to work in this condition. He won't be of use to me, thus he shall be disposed of. You, of course, shall go with him," the captain added matter-of-factly. Gazing at the redheaded pirate and the blond, Madara looked genuinely bored.

"You mean you will kill him only because he won't be capable of carrying out orders for a week or two?" Disbelief sounded in Deidara's voice. Quite naïve of him; made one think that Sasori had been right and he really was only a brat that hadn't been introduced to the real world yet.

"Not exactly," Madara said. "You could stay in this room, if you wanted, but fact is that neither of you would survive without any food or water. Such a luxury as dinner is available only to those who work, though. And if you're going to die anyway, why not make it quick?" He raised his eyebrows, but they furrowed into a frown when he continued. "This is what the rule of no passengers revolves around. No need to keep useless trash on board, the ship is heavy as is.

_You, _of course, were an exception to that, but this was only because of Sasori's oddity. I'm guessing he divided his each dinner into half and brought the other half here to you. _Why _he shared half of his payment for hours long of hard work with someone who had just lounged meanwhile, I shall probably never understand." Madara shook his head, as though oddity of this level was beyond him.

Deidara felt a sting of guilt. Sasori had gotten less food just because of him? He pushed the thought away quickly, before it could make him feel even worse. No, it had been Sasori's own decision on letting him live in the first place; it wasn't Deidara's fault.

Then a sudden idea hit him.

"What if I take his place?" Deidara asked, a sudden ray of hope and bravery making its way into the darkness he'd seen their future as. "I can carry out the orders for him."

Madara raised both eyebrows at him in insulting disbelief. "You're a land lover. What do you know about working on a ship?"

Deidara held back the urge of correcting the man on 'land lover'. He hesitated before answering, though. After all, he had no idea what kind of work Sasori had been forced to do during the days. The hours he'd spent trapped inside this compartment seemed to grow even longer when thinking that his Danna had spent all of them doing work.

One look at the redhead was all it took to re-build Deidara's courage. He looked the captain straight in the eye and said with a steady voice: "I'm quick to learn."

Madara gave him a measuring look. He didn't seem genuinely convinced, but decided to brush the doubts off. "Alright, I'll see you at sunset on deck. Let's see what you can do then." He turned on his heel and left the compartment, closing the door after him.

Deidara was left alone in the room with Sasori and an eerie, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Deidara?" a weak voice sounded from behind the blond. He swirled around quickly and a huge wave of relief washed over him as he watched the pale redhead open his brown eyes and regard him. "Are you alright?"

Deidara frowned and all of a sudden he looked angry. "Don't you dare ask that when you yourself just go shot in the shoulder! How could I be fine after that?!"

"Shot…?" Sasori tried sitting up, but the pain of the wound was too strong; he grimaced and fell back on the bed, casting his shoulder a concerned look. "This is bad," he muttered.

"Be careful, Danna!" Deidara exclaimed, sounding alarmed. "You'll hurt yourself even more! Here, do you want some water?" He grabbed the bottle from the desk and brought it to Sasori's lips, tilting it a little so the water would run down to Sasori's mouth. The redhead took one gulp, before closing his mouth. Deidara had to turn the bottle upwards in a flash so the water wouldn't run down his Danna's face. He gave the other a questioning look.

"What is that, brat? Get me some rum or let me die in peace," Sasori grunted.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Danna…" he whined, but put the bottle away regardless and trod the chest, getting a bottle of rum from it. "This can't be good for your health," he muttered while Sasori gulped down the liquid.

"I disagree," Sasori stated simply. Once he'd emptied the bottle and it had been put away, he started to sit up, only to have Deidara's firm hands on his stomach stop him.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Danna?!" Deidara exclaimed. "Are you crazy? Lie down!"

Sasori frowned at listening to the blond giving orders, but didn't comment on it; there were more important things at the moment. "You don't know what you're talking about, brat. This ship takes no passengers."

Deidara's expression only turned angrier. "Yes, I do! Madara already dropped by and lectured me!"

"And you still want me to lie down after listening to him?" Sasori raised his eyebrows. "He did mention that if I get killed, so do you, right?" There was no way Madara would pass a malicious opportunity like this, Sasori thought.

Deidara looked hesitant and turned away. "Well, yes," he admitted. Not that he cared much about what happened to him once Sasori was gone; he was a teenager in love, after all. And a stubborn one, at that.

"Then what are you thinking?" Sasori demanded. "I'm not going to _lie _here and wait to be killed, brat. I-"

"I made a deal with Madara, so that I'll be taking your place until you heal," Deidara blurted out; once he did, he felt like digging a hole in the ground. He was sure this was the farthest he had gone over the line, but he didn't regret it. He knew it was the right thing to do, and soon Sasori would too.

When he dared to glance at the redhead again, he saw that he'd left the other dumbfounded. He might've as well have told Sasori he was pregnant. Deidara stared and him and waited for a change.

It came; Sasori's expression turned into a smile, but there was no happiness whatsoever in it. "No, you won't," he said, as if it had been decided.

Deidara frowned; he'd known it was coming and that's what had made him prepared. "Why not?" he demanded.

"Firstly," Sasori started in a tired tone, similar to the one that would be used when explaining to a child why they shouldn't talk to strangers, "being me isn't something many could handle, and I doubt you're one of those who can. _Secondly," _he added with stress before Deidara could interfere, "Madara would never let you work in conditions that would allow you to be successful. He can't stand you."

The string of complaints had died on Deidara's tongue and instead of them he asked a newly formed question: "Why can't Madara stand me? I've never even-"

"Because he can't stand _me," _Sasori put in, seeming tired of this conversation. This was his first time sharing any details of his relationships with the other sailors; he would've been a fool had he thought the blond would let it drop so easily.

"And why is that?" the blond inquired, unmistakable curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Sasori turned his head, casting the other a solemn look. "I have something he doesn't, but grieves for desperately."

Deidara's expression turned from bright to thoughtful. "And I suppose you're not going to tell me what that is?" He couldn't stop the note of hope from entering his voice.

As expected, Sasori shook his head. "No."

Deidara shook his head also. "Thought so," he muttered, more to himself, then added: "It's beside the point either way." He stood up. "I'm going to substitute you until that wound of yours has healed."

"I don't remember you being the one in charge here, brat," Sasori growled angrily. "You'll get killed before you set a foot on the deck."

"I'm going to get killed anyway," Deidara snapped. His harsh tone surprised the redhead; it had been long since he'd heard it. "If I don't go, you'll meet your end when trying to work despite the wound – the only way for it to heal is to give it some rest. And if you die, so will I." He paused for a moment, staring Sasori straight in the eyes while letting him take in his said words. "The best chance of at least one of us surviving is if I go."

He didn't find it necessary to point out that if only one of them were to survive, it would be Sasori, not him. He was convinced the redhead would be able to put two and two together.

The next time Sasori looked at the blond, his expression wasn't angry anymore, but pleading. "Deidara, please don't do this."

"I have to," pressed Deidara. "It's our best shot and you know it. Why won't you let me go?"

An intense silence fell and Sasori turned his head away. A quiet moment passed; then a minute and it turned into two. Finally, Sasori said: "You will be taking as many guns and knives as you can carry and if you manage to get killed, I will personally ensure that your corpse will be bald. That ought to make you careful."

Deidara nodded, flashing the other a small smile. "Of course, Danna, whatever you say."

The next hour rolled by with Sasori giving Deidara advice on what to do and how to react in different situations. He let the blond have even those guns that had been tucked in his sash (plus all those in the caskets in his room), leaving only a knife and a pistol to himself. He also gave Deidara a sword. He was pleased to hear that Esquire Iwaga had gone out of his way to teach his son how to handle a weapon as such.

Sasori had lain down (after 10 minutes of listening to Deidara's persuading) and watched the blond pull a jacket over his shirt that already hid four guns. Sasori still didn't have a good feeling about this, but there was no convincing the blond to stay. Maybe it was for the best this way.

"Be safe," Sasori said, before receiving a peck on his lips and watching the younger male walk out of the room. He could hear the key being turned in the keyhole once the door had closed.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>

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><p><em>Okay I was totally pulling your dicks. There is a cliffhanger. I hope you enjoy it ;) - Akuma<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_Yeah, yeah, I'm horrible for making you all wait for 4 months. So, what else is new?_

_No, this hasn't been uploaded in honour of Christmas. I hate Christmas. My friend C dubbed me Grinch for it._

_But I like a girl named Ashley. I actually started writing this chap because of her. All hail mighty Ashley._

_Thank you, Nam Pyeon, for letting me spoil the story to you. I actually got a few ideas __straight__ in my head now because of it _|3

_The number of reviews is HUGE though o_o It's, like, scary xD Even though I might not show it, there's actually a happy little girl dancing inside of me because of it :'3 Sure, some of you piss me off, but at the same time, I prolly piss you off too with all the waiting, cliffhangers etc, so all hate/love is mutual :D_

_So anyways, Merry Bloody Christmas, everyone who actually enjoys the holiday. I hope when you unwrap your presents, all your materialistic dreams will come true ;]_

_Oh, btw, I ranked second in a national story writing competition. Neat, eh? Glad you think so. Anyways, I hope you like the chap._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 10<strong>_

It was dark and cold outside. Deidara felt a shiver run down his body, but it hardly had anything to do with the weather. He stepped onto the deck and took a careful look around.

There was a sailor behind the wheel, looking undisturbed by the wind that was mercilessly tearing at his clothes. He was tall and lanky; definitely not Madara. Deidara took a step farther, glancing around himself cautiously. It took a walk all the way up to the centre of the deck for him to be able to spot the Captain.

Captain Madara was facing him, but in the darkness Deidara wasn't able to tell if his gaze was directed at him or not. Probably was, staring at him spitefully behind the dark curly locks that had escaped his hat and lay freely on his forehead.

Deidara froze in his tracks. Some invisible force was holding him back from moving closer. Maybe it was good. Maybe it was a good force trying to hold him back from meeting his demise. On the other hand, how was he supposed to do this, if he couldn't even face the man?

Deidara forced his legs to move; lifted one foot and placed it in front of the other, lifted the other and moved it forward. Repeat action. And again – again – until he was standing barely two meters apart with Madara. He halted abruptly.

"You really decided to show up," Madara said with mock disbelief, his mouth twitching into an unpleasant smile. "Out of all the possible ways, you chose the most troublesome way to die. How… unwise of you."

Deidara was hardly listening to what the other was saying; he was quite busy keeping the shivers shaking his body moderate, so it wouldn't show too much. Not that it really mattered on the whole, but it did matter to him. Esquire Iwaga had not raised a child without pride. Those were perhaps the most foolish ones. They may have gone down, but even then their chins would be held high up.

"I'd like to ask you to join me for a tour in the basement, De- what was thy name again?"

"Deidara," the blond murmured next to inaudibly.

He followed Madara to a door that revealed a staircase when opened, and then down, through the dim and moist hallways.

Deidara clutched the knife in his pocket. A sly voice in his head wondered out loud what would happen, were he to stab the Captain from behind. It seemed like a perfect chance.

A wiser, more self-preserved voice advised him to forget it. Wasn't he still too inexperienced to know what he'd be doing? Sasori would definitely have disapproved of this, and thus the freshly sharpened knife stayed in the blond's pocket.

Madara came to a stop near an unlit torch; Deidara halted a few steps behind. Something cold pierced through the youngster when he began hearing voices. Now that they weren't moving anymore, and their footsteps didn't create unnecessary noise, Deidara could clearly hear the muffled whispers from the other side of the wall.

Those voices did definitely not belong to any of the pirates on this ship.

As far as Deidara was concerned, pirates' voices only had two volumes – loud and extra loud. He'd never heard a pirate whisper and didn't see why any of them would've had a reason to do so on their own ship anyway.

Deidara wasn't dumb. He could hear the voices – even though making out the words was kind of difficult – and put two and two together quickly. He almost wished he'd been stupid; a lot, lot more stupid to not foresee what was coming next, because the realization that had thundered through him was making him nauseous. His grip around the knife tightened.

Madara lit the torch and took it in his hand. As soon as there was light brightening their surroundings again, he fished out a ring of keys and smartly found the right one with only one hand. He inserted it in the keyhole and unlocked the door.

Deidara was praying like a maniac in his head. _Please, don't let it be the room the voices are coming from. Please, God, just no. _

God didn't seem to be taking requests that night.

When Madara opened the door, the two were greeted by a wave of sickening stench. Vomit, urine and what else could've resulted in something so awful, Deidara didn't want to know. He wanted to run away. This could be just too much for him. Only the mental image of Sasori, lying unconscious in the bed, kept him where he was.

"Care to join me?" Madara asked, motioning for Deidara to step in.

The blond was not given enough time to think about refusing. His legs were already walking forward, willing to do whatever needed to get this over with quickly. Deidara didn't want to obey his legs as they moved without his permission. The smell was making him sick; he was sure he'd puke any second.

Had he really known what he'd be forced to face, he would've puked right then. Now that he was seeing the sight before him in actuality, the most his body could do was become paralyzed.

Chained to the walls, covered in blood, naked and with only skin and bones left in their bodies – that was the condition Deidara found his family's servants in when entering the room.

Not only did the sight make him lose his voice, but he could barely think anymore. Horror struck him and it struck him hard. The half-dead skeletons lying on the floor covered in hell knows what, had changed so much since Deidara had last seen them. They were almost unrecognizable. Almost.

Deidara wanted to step forward and reach out, when his gaze fell on the most familiar figure – the family butler. _Sebastian, _he wanted to whisper, but his voice was nowhere to be found. He wanted to reach out and, with one single touch, return them all to normal, even though his mind kept telling him such thing wasn't possible.

The other thing he really wanted to do was to run away. Run far, far, away. Or maybe only up to the deck, though, and make a suicidal jump into the sea.

Deidara didn't know how he was still standing. The rough moans coming from all the servants were destroying him on the inside, but somehow, he was still standing and had not collapsed yet.

"I see you recognize them," Madara said, the exact moment that another, most unwelcome question entered the blond's mind.

_How long had they been here like this?_

Deidara tried not to look on the floor, not see what could've been the remains of mice and rats that the prisoners had been forced to eat. No, he did not want to see that. Sometimes, the truth was just too much to bear and it was better to live in oblivion.

"I had them waiting here just in case they might've come in handy. I would've disposed of them soon either way, but since thou have offered thy help so kindly, I thought thou might as well accomplish the task for me."

Deidara could hear him, but refused to take the words in. He was aware of what he was being asked to do now, but did not want to admit it to himself. He just wanted to stop existing.

"So, which do you prefer," Madara started, a malicious smile sounding in his voice, "sword or pistol? I imagine Sasori had you equipped and all."

Deidara was not sure why he nodded. It was more of an automatic thing to do, rather than a conscious decision. He didn't wish to think about _how _he would end this; he didn't want to end it at all. He couldn't even bear the sight of the servants now, how did Madara expect him to – gulp – _kill _them?!

_On the other hand, _a slightly morbid voice started in his head, _they'll probably be better off dead than in the current condition._

_But I can't take someone else's life, _Deidara whispered to that voice in horror.

_You either take their lives, or Madara will take your and Sasori's._

The thought of dying himself didn't scare Deidara anymore. He'd spent so many nights fearing being killed by either Sasori or another pirate that he was almost used to the idea by now. How bad could it be anyway? One shot and he'd be out of this world. No worries.

Sasori's life was a whole different matter, though.

Deidara's hand started searching for a gun. It stopped momentarily on the handle when he glimpsed Sebastian's slight movement.

The dark haired man was extremely tall and slim, which had worked against him whilst not being fed. His arms and legs looked like they might break any second, and stomach was about as thin as paper. It hurt Deidara just seeing him trying to move.

Sebastian coughed and droplets of blood fell on the floor. The blond winced at the sight and sound. The man then raised his head and his colourless eyes locked onto Deidara's. Another cough. Another wince by Deidara. And then a nod. The slightest, but an unmistakeable nod.

Encouragement. _Just do it, _it was supposed to say.

Deidara gave a weaker nod than he'd received in return.

And he lifted a gun, took aim at a servant's head - trying to steady his hand and grabbing the weapon with his other hand to bring more effect - and shot. Repeat. Took aim and shot. Repeat and repeat. He was forced to swap guns once, due to running out of ammo.

He saved Sebastian for last, even though he wasn't sure what the reason was for it. Maybe because he'd always been his favourite. Maybe because he really didn't want to let go of him. Perhaps because he wanted him with him until the very end. Whichever the reason, Deidara whispered a soft "Goodbye" and let a single tear drop from his eye, before pulling the trigger.

Then there was silence. The corpses lay on the dirty ground as two pairs of eyes watched them turn cold. Deidara and Madara stood completely still. No one moved. Deidara wasn't sure whether he even knew how to move anymore. How had he ended up here again? It didn't seem real, none of it did.

The stench was still the same, but Deidara didn't notice it anymore. He barely noticed anything. Was this what they called numbness? He could not feel a thing anymore as he stared at the dead bodies of his lost servants.

A pat on his back.

"Ought to call it a night with yer. Next job at dawn."

Deidara mechanically followed Madara out and onto the deck, proceeding to his familiar hallway from there on by himself. It was dark in the hallway, which seemed to make everything even worse. As there was nothing for him to see, the mental image of the blood-covered men in the basement was next to impossible to block out of his head. Deidara was making soundless screaming motions and tearing at his hair by the time he reached Sasori's compartment.

Sasori had been lying down on the bed, but sat right up in a flash at the sound of the door creaking open.

It was relatively light in the room, due to the oil lamps and candles burning. It alleviated the flashing images in Deidara's mind a little. He tried hard to hold back the sobs as he pushed the door shut. The guns he'd been holding in his hands fell on the floor. He took off his jacket and let it drop over them.

"Deidara, are you alright?" Sasori asked worriedly, even though the answer was obvious. No, he wasn't. The only thing that wasn't certain yet was the volume of damage.

Deidara leaped towards Sasori and flung his arms around him. He hid his face in the redhead's neck and stopped holding back the sobs. He let it all out. The tears, the screams, everything that had built up inside him that night. He just cried on Sasori's shoulder until there were no tears left inside him to cry.

Sasori held the other tightly. He didn't mind him forgetting for a while his promise to look after him until his shoulder healed and let the roles be swapped. He was just glad that there didn't seem to be any physical injuries on the blond.

The mental pressure, however, was hard, and Sasori had known that beforehand. The fact that Deidara had made it back without a Madara who'd announce their execution date was a surprise in itself. It proved that maybe the brat had a little more going on in himself than met the eye at first.

Sasori planted kisses on the blond's head and watched him drift off. Deidara continued sobbing even in his sleep, but half an hour later, they faded off as well.

Sasori sighed. This was only the beginning, though.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	11. Chapter 11

_I actually finished this chapter! :'D I am SO proud of myself. It didn't want to be written at all =.='' (And it took me SO long T-T) I'm thinking it holds a grudge against me. But like, who wouldn't? Lol_

_I wanted to update as much as possible before I'm off to Finland and then Germany. I'm staying in Finland for 4 days at an anime con WITH a friend I met here on FF :D And I'll be a transfer student in a German school for a month - it's the same school ANOTHER friend of mine that I met here, on FF, attends! :D :D My dreams are finally coming true :'3_

_Anyway, I HONESTLY tried to NOT give you a cliffhanger this time, seeing how long it takes me to update and all, and I think I succeeded. Sort of. Yeah. I tried._

_Hope you like it:_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 11<strong>_

"The difference between the pocket of an honest man and a cheater is that you might find a shilling in the first, but the second is full of guineas," Sasori said from the bed as he watched Deidara dig out their last bottle of rum from the casket and place it on the table. "Remember that, Deidara? You're not among British gentlemen anymore. This is a whole different deal. Remember."

(A/N: Shilling was a silver coin, guinea was golden.)

"I do remember," Deidara confirmed and pointed at the bottle. "Do not drink it up in one gulp. It's the last one. I do not know when I'll get back."

"Brat, do I look like I need you to teach me?" Sasori grunted and wrapped a hand around the blond's hips, as he was standing just by the bed, and pulled him down to him. Deidara landed with a plop that sent the bed into slight motion; Sasori winced at the sharp pain that pierced through his shoulder and his eyes clenched shut.

Deidara froze on his spot, and did not even dare to exhale before Sasori opened his eyes, giving him a wicked smirk. "Stop with that look. I'm a lot tougher than you make me out to be, brat."

Deidara sighed, devastating worry clouding his eyes. His figure shrunk visibly when his shoulders caved forward and he had the look close to what he'd been like last night. His eye was half-lidded – the other covered with a black patch and his blonde fringe as always – and fixed downwards, lips quivering slightly. He bit the lower one to halt them.

Now it was Sasori's turn to sigh. Oh, how much this brat still had to learn. He just wasn't sure a pirate ship was the best place for those lessons.

He pressed his lips against the blond's forehead, and the other slightly raised his head. A blue eye closed slowly. Sasori moved his lips down to the blond's and was welcomed gently. Deidara's lips moved in synchrony with his and parted as soon as they felt nibbling on the lower lip. Sasori slithered his tongue in.

Deidara felt weak, swayed by the overwhelming emotions, and wrapped his arms around the redhead. His head was swimming and became forgetful; for the moment he was able to forget all his problems and fears. The only thing that existed in his mind was what was there and then. It wasn't the first time that Sasori had overtaken all of the younger male's senses. It wasn't a good habit – definitely not – but at least it stopped Deidara from worrying for a while.

When Deidara finally left the compartment, he was as armed as he'd been last night. A knife tucked away in his boot, a smaller gun tucked away in the other; a sword in his sash and more pistols. Sasori wouldn't let him out of sight without this equipment.

He met up with Madara on the deck. This time, Deidara didn't recognize any remarkable signs of malice on his face or in his tone, but what he said next erased all the foolish hope he might've had for having him go easy on him.

"Clean up the room." Things were not improving.

Deidara did not need to ask _which _room. There was only one room Madara would've had him clean and that was the one the dead Iwaga servants were lying in. As soon as Madara had motioned for a sailor to bring him a rag and a bucket, and had turned away, Deidara squatted and puked into the bucket.

He had to clean it later, using the water from a nearby faucet. He felt faint now – there had not been much food in his belly to begin with – which made the task many times harder.

The door to the Room of Blood (as Deidara had dubbed it) was unlocked this time around. When he opened it, he was greeted by a stench as horrible and sickening as it had been the night before. Deidara was sure he would puke again eventually as he started off by heaving one servant onto his back and dragging him out of the room.

_Imagine you don't know him. This is someone else's corpse, _Deidara needed to tell himself as he arduously made his way down the hallway and towards the stairs that led to the deck, but the nauseous feeling in his stomach did not cease. As he heard something in the corpse snap behind him, sending another wave of nausea lurching through him, he became sure of his need for another strategy to use on himself.

_There's no dead man on your back. It's only a bag of heavy rocks. Just a bag of heavy rocks, _he started to continuously repeat in his head as his feet kept dragging him forwards, up the stairs to the deck. His shoulders and back hurt from the weight, he was sure to have more bruises later and Sasori would scold him, but he bore with it. He only had one priority, one goal, everything else was irrelevant. His well-being was irrelevant. It was not a part of his priority.

He rested the corpse on the wooden bulwark, closing his eyes to avoid looking at the body. He was panting so hard his head was reeling. He felt weak in the knees and his heart was pounding. But his head was the worst, his mind. The thoughts. The decision. Even though he didn't have a choice, throwing the - gulp - body off the deck was still a hard decision to make. He felt like he could not do it. Even though he was dead, even though there was no saving him, still...

A roaring voice shouted through the air, "Ship on the horizon!"

Deidara took a second to glance around.

In less than half a minute, the deck was packed with hustling pirates, in the middle of them standing Madara, shouting orders.

"Plunder the loot! No quarter! No loot, ya'll find Davy Jones locker waiting for ya!"

It took Deidara a moment to understand that A, a ship was about to be reaved, and B, if the pirates did not return with anything of value, they would be thrown off the ship into the depths of the ocean.

It took him another moment to realize that this applied to him, too.

"Bloody hell," he muttered.

Scattering the sailors, Madara stepped up to the blond, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the dead body lying on the ground.

"Oh for the love of," he muttered and picked the corpse up before Deidara's eyes and pushed it into the water. "I cannot imagine why Sasori has yet to put a bullet in yer tiny brain."

He rushed back into the crowd.

They neared the ship at a formidable speed, the wind tearing at the coal black flag flying above them. Deidara's hair was being tousled, blown out of his face to reveal his eye patch at one second and pushed into his face to blind him the next.

But Deidara did not take notice of this. His sweaty hands were clasping and unclasping the handles of his sword and pistol.

On the contrary to what he had expected himself to feel, he was neither shocked nor terrified. Pure excitement was running through his veins, joy for the chance to finally prove himself. He wanted both Sasori and Madara to know that he was worth much more than either of them gave him credit for. He was ready to launch into action, he so was!

At least that was what he kept telling himself. He couldn't still his slightly shaking hands completely.

"Prepare yourself, maties!"

They finally came side to side with the other ship. Deidara backed down from where he was standing towards the middle of the deck; he did not wish to be right at bulwark, should the enemies not hesitate to open fire at them.

He heard Madara yelling commands to hook their ship onto the enemies' and pirates shouting as they went to fulfill those commands (God forbid them from doing anything quietly). Deidara's thoughts momentarily flickered to Sasori. The redhead brought a smile to his face, helping to build his courage up. He was going to make Danna proud. He was sure he could do it. He could do anything for Danna.

Planks were fastened between the two ships and pirates rushed across them, swords slicing and pistols firing as they did so. Deidara swallowed and decided to follow. The only way for him to do it was to not think; he just had to jump into the chaos and let his reflexes guide him through it all.

So, after an oddly running crew member had climbed onto the nearest plank to him and left, Deidara followed suit, drawing out his sword. He did not wish to waste bullets when they were not absolutely necessary.

There was an eager and angry-looking seaman waiting to greet him with a sword of his own on the other side. That was the first duel Deidara had ever participated in. All his coaches and father's tips and instructions echoing in his head, he went head on to attack the guy. He could tell the other had not been expecting this, probably taking his youth for inexperience.

But Deidara was far from a weak opponent. He fought skillfully, finally making the other accidentally drop his sword. Moving faster than lightning, he stepped on it, breaking it to bits. He glanced up at the seaman, a victorious smile on his face. His first duel and his first win.

The seaman looked scared now. Deidara quickly came to the realization that he was expecting him to kill him. Deidara hesitated. He'd never killed anyone by sword. It was completely different from just shooting someone. A lot messier and seeming more cruel, more barbaric.

This was what Deidara's hesitation cost him - the guy ran away. The boy cussed under his breath, but decided to cut his losses. The number of deaths by his hands wasn't what mattered either way - it was the weight of something shiny that did.

Trying to avoid any further encounters, Deidara snuck through a door into a more peaceful corridor, away from the clash. He moved swiftly down the stairs and found himself in a carpeted corridor. All the doors were closed and Deidara, knowing the interiors of the ships made back then well, suspected them to be bedrooms.

He touched the knobs on the first few doors until he found one that was unlocked. He pushed it open, hoping to find something valuable inside, so he could get off this ship as soon as possible. It turned out to be, as suspected, a well-decorated bedroom.

Deidara looked around a bit. It had been long since he'd been in an environment like this; the life of dirty pirates had completely worn off on him and he had trouble trying to imagine living some place like that again.

A quiet sob sounded from the bed and Deidara whirled around hastily. Pistol drawn out and finger placed on the trigger, he paced cautiously towards the bed. Hand reached out, he grabbed the sheet and jerked it off in one quick motion.

His eye widened at what was revealed.

A youthful girl, no older than 15, was crouched on the bed, pointing the gun muzzle straight at the blond pirate. Yes, Deidara considered himself a pirate now. He was a pirate and this was his test to become accepted as one. He was going to make it and make Sasori proud.

"I-I will shoot!" the girl stuttered in fear, her hands shaking like an earthquake.

Deidara's eyes narrowed slyly. The girl spoke English, which pleased him as it made things easier for him. "So will I," he replied. "Guess who, out of the two of us, won't miss? You ,with those weak, shaking hands, or me?"

"I'm not weak!" the girl burst out, but there was only so much she could do to sound brave. Her face was pale as a sheet and Deidara suspected she was close to fainting.

"I'll cut you a deal," he said, only half-aware of how many pirate codes he was going against. The right pirate way would have been to just shoot her, God knew he was faster than her with her limp hands, but Deidara hadn't grown a heart that cold to do that yet. "You don't shoot, I don't shoot. I'll get some valuables - such as that pretty necklace you've got around your neck" - Deidara pointed at the blue diamond necklace hanging out from the girl's nightgown - "and I'll be on my way. Savvy?"

The girl gulped, but didn't answer. Her hands were shaking violently, like they couldn't bear the weight of a gun upon them.

Deidara sighed impatiently, reminding himself of Sasori just for a moment. He did not have time for this. He pulled out his sword and in a swift movement swung it against the pistol hard, making it jump out of the girl's hands and clash onto the floor. Deidara kicked it with his foot away from the bed.

"Now stay still," he snarled, "until I get my work done."

The female gazed at him with wide teary eyes, but Deidara didn't let them move him. He needed to get back to Danna and no puppy-faced fille was going to waste more of his time. He hadn't even done anything to her yet and she was already crying! It pissed the blond off. He sure hadn't been this pathetic when his ship had got looted.

He reached out, paying no mind to the girl flinching when his hand brushed against her skin, and jerked the necklace off. It was a piece of beauty and he shoved it into his pocket. He moved to the nightstand by the bed and pulled open the upper drawer. He shoveled the pearls, earrings, necklaces, rings onto the sheet he'd got from the bed and repeated the action on the second and third drawer.

The girl's quiet sobs were driving him nuts and it took great patience to not slap him. Despite being a pirate in training as he was, he had not quite been raised by the wolves and did not wish to raise his hand against the weaker sex when he had the chance to avoid it. He knew Madara would have disapproved - and probably Sasori, too ("You're not among the British gentlemen anymore, brat!") - but... he wasn't them. He had his own ways. And he was going to complete this mission without having to worry about one more dead person appearing in his nightmares.

He'd just finished emptying the bottom drawer when he heard marching footsteps in the hallway outside. They didn't alarm him at first, he assumed them to be pirates and therefore calmly proceeded to tie the sheet into a Santa Clause style bag, but it was when he heard them speak that he realized something wasn't quite right.

He listened intently and sensed that the girl was listening, too.

"Do not let 'em in here! Protect thy daughters and wives!"

It wasn't so much the words he'd heard than the words he had _not _heard that got him alert and made his blood run cold. He had not heard a single cuss word. These were not the men he shared the ship with on a daily basis.

A sudden realization hit him and the following happened in a total of two seconds: his eyes darted to the girl and saw her open her mouth. His hand snapped up his pistol from the floor and pointed it at her, but not before she could utter a loud, high-pitched cry. Deidara's finger pulled the trigger.

A loud bang thundered through the air and everything went quiet. The girl lay down motionless.

A second later the door flung open and a group of four seamen burst in, swords ready in hands. Deidara did not have time for hesitation now; his body moved faster than his brain could grasp what was happening.

With two shots he killed off the first two men in the room and watched them fall down on the floor. That was when his luck ran out, though. One of the men flung himself at him and before he could pull the trigger again, his gun was grabbed out of his hand and a sharp punch caught in his face.

Deidara's hand searched for his sword. Propped on his elbow on the floor, he swung it at the attacker, slicing the front of his blouse and apparently some flesh, too, as the white fabric was quickly soaked in red. He jumped up, sword fixed in front of him when it clashed with another blade and he was flung into an unrestrained sword duel. He attacked and defended the best he could, but there was only so much he could do with killer pain throbbing in his arm and head. To his relief, neither the man he was fighting nor the man lying on the floor seemed to have any guns on them.

Unfortunately, neither did he. His own pistol was nowhere in sight and the girl's was lying at his opponent's feet. All he could do was to not give the other a chance to grab it.

Just like in his previous battle, Deidara managed to bat the sword out of the other's hand - a move he'd already begun to pride himself on. Unlike last time, he did not let it end there, though. He was so caught in the fight, almost like lost in frenzy, that his brain failed to register his actions before they were done. Moving on its own with such determination Deidara had no means to stop it, his sword moved back to his opponent after batting the other sword away and struck forward.

The metallic blade caught in the man's chest.

The incident shocked Deidara so greatly once he finally understood what had happened as the man collapsed on the floor that he let go of the sword handle, leaving the blade inside the man.

For an unmeasured time he stared at the five bodies lying in the room, all slaughtered by him. He was shocked to a numb state, standing there completely frozen, no part of his body moving.

_This cannot be real. This is a nightmare. I'm only in a nightmare._

It was only when the man whose blouse he'd sliced coughed up blood, being apparently not completely dead yet, that Deidara finally caught a grip and grabbed the self-made treasure bag from the floor. Jumping over the corpses, he ran out of the room and headed towards the stairs. No sooner did he realize he'd picked the wrong direction did he hit a dead end at the end of the corridor. Swearing under his breath, he turned on his heel and sprinted towards the other end, his legs feeling wobbly like jelly.

He got up to the deck, his gaze searching for the nearest plank connecting the two ships. Having found one, he headed towards it, trying to ignore his aching head. He caught sight of hostages being escorted to their ship on other planks and other pirates crossing the pieces of wood, carrying everything from silver plates to golden clocks in their hands. Deidara congratulated himself on his personal loot - he had yet to see anyone return with as much as he had in the sheet.

His luck was bound to be cut short-lived, however. Halfway across the plank, something heavy caught in his back, kicking him off balance for the sea to swallow. By a miracle he managed to catch a hold of the board just in the nick of time, feeling the wooden surface become wet and slippery beneath his fingers.

A pirate with shaggy red hair appeared above him and smiled down at him cruelly as Deidara hung onto his dear life for all it was worth. The blond knew better than to hope for help from him as he was convinced the pirate had thrown something at him to make him fall and get out of his way in the first place. The only question was, whether or not he would step on his fingers to make him fall to his death instantly.

Their eyes locked for an intense moment, Deidara feeling fear gripping inside him. It didn't let him worry about the loot he'd just lost, all he wished was for his hands to hold on just a little bit longer so he could pull himself up.

And _please_, do not let that bastard step on him!

_I'm almost dead anyway, what else do you want from me?! _he wanted to shout at the pirate, but held his tongue.

The man seemed to be thinking the same, though, and thought it to be more fun to let the blond struggle rather than give him a quick death. He turned and crossed the plank quickly to his home ship, leaving Deidara at God's mercy.

Deidara gathered up his strength and started to pull himself up.

Drops of rain fell down, the rain getting heavy in a matter of minutes, making Deidara wonder, whether he was getting punished for a sin, tortured just for entertainment or tested even more to find out if he was worth being alive.

_This is not where I will die,_ Deidara swore to himself as he heaved his upper torso onto the plank. The effort took so much out of him, his muscles felt on fire, but Deidara had decided long ago to ignore them. He could not die, yet. He had too many things left to do, too many things left undone should he die.

He kicked his foot in the air and caught it on the other side of the plank. With his full torso on the plank, he tried to stand up, but it soon became clear that would have only resulted in him losing his balance and falling again.

In crawling motions he made his way to the pirate ship, the rain pouring down on him, as though the clouds had decided to empty a gardening bucket on him. His blond hair stuck to his head and neck like glue, making it difficult to see as it covered almost completely his open eye as well. He could only depend on his limbs that kept moving forward until he reached the bulwark and flung himself onto the deck.

He fell down, face first, his breathing so heavy he feared his lungs would burst and his whole body aching so bad he could've sworn a herd of elephants had marched over him. With his final effort he flipped himself onto his back. In spite of all this, he felt relieved. He had made it. He had escaped from death _twice _and had got a single limb cut off. This was more than he had dared to hope.

The content feeling inside him lasted only so long until a familiar voice over him bellowed in the characteristic tone laced with malice, "Thou scum dare to return without loot?"

Deidara's first reaction was to argue back and sneer at Madara, as he had got a whole lot of loot - jewelry of all kind worth God knew how many pounds of gold! He heaved up and was about to throw the stolen goods in the Captain's face when his groping of the ground around him turned out to be fruitless.

There was nothing there, no loot.

Where had it gone?! Deidara felt himself panic. He'd got loot! He'd emptied three drawers of a girl's nightstand of all the accessories there and brought them back with him! Where had it gone?!

Bushy red hair was what came to his mind first after a total blank out. Then the spiteful face of the pirate that had shoved him off the plank.

_Off the plank..._

Deidara felt his insides grow cold as realization struck him with full force. He finally remembered where his loot had gone.

Right to the depths of Davy Jones' locker.

"Well?!" Madara demanded, staring down at the blond youth impatiently. "If nothing is all ya have, how about ye go crawling back to where ye came from and return with something before it's too late?" His gaze averted to the looted ship and he gave a snicker, seeing the deck empty. "Although I've a feeling we'll be departing. But ye've more business there than-"

The Captain quieted, seeing the boy extend his clenched hand towards him. He stared at the fist, arching an eyebrow. "What be this?" he inquired. "Ye offering me thy hand?"

Deidara's fist turned over and opened, the fingers revealing a blue diamond necklace.

"Here's your loot."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_And here comes Akuma, updating on a random Saturday morning at 4AM (whyisthesunrisingalreadywtf) after a whole year of no new chaps whatsoever. Hai._

_So basically I think I sorta got my motivation and inspiration back for this story. I finished my novel and since school is almost over, with all tests but one behind me, I had some free time. Then I broke my finger and now my writing hand is in a cast, which makes typing a bit harder. I think I'm getting better at doing stuff with my left hand due to the shit ton of tests I've had to write with my left hand. Today (yesterday) I took my maths test, writing 3 full pages and drawing the lines and stuff with left hand only. I'm so proud. It only took 2.5h (instead of the usual 1-1.5h). _

_I had to re-read a few chaps before writing this heh. A year can be a long time when it comes to my memory._

_Anywho, if there's anyone still following this, then I hope you enjoy this chap _

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 12<strong>_

It was luck in its purest form that the necklace Deidara was forced to bet both his own and Sasori's life on in the end turned out to be of extremely high value. While it did not stop the sneering and mockery by the pirates or Madara from cutting Deidara's share of food in half, it did the job of earning him the right to stay on the ship for a while longer.

Treading the hallway towards his compartment, Deidara glanced inside the bag of food he had been given and let out a depressed sigh as his stomach gave a loud growl. There was hardly enough food for one grown man in there, and he was supposed to feed himself and Sasori with that portion.

Sighing with resignation, Deidara took out one apple from the bag and put it in his pocket. He unlocked the compartment door and stepped inside, locking it behind him just in case. Sasori sat up the moment the blond entered, eying him with a wary look, no doubt worried about the fight that had just taken place. Seeing Deidara moving fine without signs of any serious injuries and setting a bag of food on the table calmed him. Judging by the first impression, everything seemed to be in order.

"Here, I brought food," Deidara said as he started to unpack the meat and loaves of bread. He noticed something like a sparkle lighting up in the redhead's eyes when he took out the two bottles of rum he'd managed to get - one from Madara, the other from the table while no one was looking.

With an eyeroll Deidara opened one of the bottles and handed it over to Sasori, adding, "Drinking so much is not good for you, Danna."

Sasori snorted and turned the bottle's bottom up, gulping down a large amount. "I function better while drunk." With one finger he motioned for the blond to come nearer. Deidara was shaking his head in disagreement but could not resist the smirk on the redhead's face. He let himself be pulled down onto the other's lap and a kiss was placed on his lips.

"I heal better, I think better and" - another kiss - "I devour you better," Sasori finished, innerly grinning at the blush that spread across the blond's cheeks. The latter hid his face in the crook of the pirate's neck with embarrassment. Sasori chuckled at the teen's inexperience and ran a hand through the blond locks. Deidara could act so innocent at times and Sasori found it quite enjoyable introducing him to the obscenities that hid out there in the world.

He cocked his head and tucked a strand of Deidara's hair behind his hair, revealing the boy's neck and kissing the neck tenderly, sending shivers down the blond's body as his hand travelled beneath his shirt.

The blond's breathing fastened as the hand moved about on his chest and he let out a low whine. "I should change your bandages."

"They can wait a bit," Sasori muttered as his lips moved down the blond's neck, leaving red marks here and there, until they reached his shoulder. He smiled contently when he felt the other shudder under his touch and moved away from the skin, raising his head and nudging Deidara's, who was still hiding his face in his neck.

Deidara moved his head and his lips were met with another pair. They moved together in synchrony as the teen shyly parted his lips, letting the redhead's tongue in. Sasori took advantage of the access given to him and used it to explore the other's mouth thoroughly, their tongues lapping and mingling.

It was not before Deidara was left completely breathless that the redhead finally moved away, eyes dancing with amusement. He let go of the blond and shifted on the bed, lying down. Deidara got up and went to get the bucket of water along with some pieces of clean cloth. He started untying the cloth around Sasori's shoulder when the touch of the redhead's hand on his made him pause.

"You need to attend to your own wounds, too," Sasori muttered.

"They're merely scratches," Deidara said, paying no heed to the abrasions. He'd gotten them in the fray with the seamen and when falling from the plank, but they had hardly even bled and were already healing.

"I'm quite proud to see that's all the damage you received from the raid."

Deidara frowned at the praise and averted his gaze, proceeding to peel off the bandages. He set the dirty ones aside and took a clean piece of cloth that he dampened before going to clean the redhead's shoulder with it.

Finally he said, "I'm not."

Sasori quirked an eyebrow. He failed to see any reason why Deidara should not have been proud of himself. Sasori had been prepared for the worst and to see the blond walk into the room on his own with all limbs attached to his torso had been above all his expectations.

Deidara sighed as he continued to wash the redhead's wound as gently as he could. He knew it must have hurt like hell, but Sasori did not wince even once. He then told the redhead about what had happened on the British ship - about the loot he had gathered and the red-haired pirate that had made him lose balance on the plank on his way back and drop all the loot in the sea.

Sasori listened silently, frowning at the mentioning of another pirate, but saying nothing to interrupt the blond.

"It was mere luck that I had put the necklace in my pocket, not in the sack with the rest of the valuables," Deidara finished telling his story. He added as an afterthought, "I'm always walking on such thin ice here, but it seems like all your companions are doing their best to scratch it even thinner."

Sasori sighed. "Two more days and I should be able to take over."

Deidara glared at him. "You're staying in bed until you're completely healed. I can handle it out there."

Sasori's gaze turned sharp. "Brat-"

Deidara cut him off. "Sasori, I've already killed my own servants and survived a raid. I doubt there's anything worse they can throw at me."

"Brat-"

"Stop it!" Deidara interrupted him again angrily. "I know the raid was a success mostly due to my luck, but I'll be more careful the next time around and-"

"Brat-"

"_Sasori-_"

"_Deidara_," Sasori finally snapped, "_shut up_."

Deidara faltered, quieting as his hands stilled and he was left staring at the redhead with a stubborn expression glued to his face.

Sasori sighed, taking in that childish expression of the blond. Sometimes he happened to forget what a child the teen could be at times. "You're looking at this from the wrong angle," he told him.

Deidara arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're still looking at things as though this is supposed to be a fair play. The truth is that my - our - days are numbered on this ship no matter what you do. Madara is only having some fun with you, he loves watching others suffer. He'll end it before I fully recover, my current condition is something he has been waiting for, for the longest time." Sasori's expression was a mix of malice and distaste.

Deidara stared at him wide-eyed, not wanting to take it all in. He could not believe that after all he had done, he and Sasori would still be thrown out for the fish to eat. It sounded logical and deep down he was sure he had known it all along, he just did not want to admit it to himself. His eye baby blue prickled with tears.

He threw his hands around Sasori's neck and hid his face in the redhead's neck again, sobbing quietly. "I-I'm sorry, Danna."

Sasori rubbed his back with the hand on his uninjured side. "There's nothing to cry about, Deidara."

That failed to stop the tears from flowing down the blond's cheeks. "I-I don't wanna lose you, Danna."

Sasori froze at the words, his hand halting on the blond's back momentarily before he collected himself. "Foolish brat," he muttered under his breath before adding with a louder voice, "I'm not going anywhere. You don't honestly think I would let Madara dispose of me that easily, do you?"

Deidara stopped sobbing and raised his head, looking cluelessly at the redhead.

"Honestly," Sasori sighed, "your continuous underestimation of me makes me wonder whether I've been too easy on you."

Deidara wiped the tears with the back of his hand but did not say a word.

"Remember, you once wanted to know what it was that I had, but Madara did not and longed for?"

Deidara nodded his head. He remembered.

Sasori gave a nod as well. "It's the highest respect of the crew."

Deidara blinked densely, not getting what the other was getting at.

Sasori gave a chuckle at his own words. "I guess _respect_ is a bit too strong of a word, we are talking about those mongrels after all. _Formidable reputation_ is probably more accurate."

"I don't understand, Danna…"

"You see," Sasori explained, "the crew and I have a history. Madara is aware of it and fears mutiny, hence his special hostility towards me and yourself."

Deidara frowned. "If he's so afraid of it, how are you still alive? He's the highest authority here, isn't he?"

Sasori chuckled in a low tone. "How fragile it is a pirate's authority. There aren't many daring enough to confront me and Madara knows that in a one-on-one fight with me, his heart would stop beating first."

"I see" was all Deidara said as he proceeded with the washing. Sasori's words seemed to have provided enough reassurance to him and managed to soothe him, even though he had yet to receive a direct reply to what the redhead was planning to do about the situation. He was aware of the unlikeliness of him getting the answer even if he had asked, so he did not bother. Sasori had long made a point about offering answers in compliance with necessity, not requests.

"Hey, Danna, what's this tattoo about?" Deidara asked as he finished cleaning and ran a hand across the redhead's chest where lay a dark blue tattoo painted beneath the skin. It looked like a strange foreign character or symbol, but Deidara was clueless of the meaning behind it.

"History," Sasori muttered as he lay with his eyes closed, waiting for the blond to patch him up.

Deidara did not inquire further, he knew the result to be futile.

As he finished bandaging the redhead and cleaned the old bandages, spreading them out to dry, Sasori pulled a shirt on and turned his attention to the food sitting on the table. He dove in as Deidara fished out the apple from his pocket and sank his teeth into it.

Sasori offered him a bite, but the teen fabricated a quick excuse, saying he had eaten his share already before. As the redhead continued to eat and Deidara finished the apple, the best he could hope for was for his stomach to stay silent and not give him away. His first priority was for Sasori to regain his strength, the urgency and importance of which had escalated upon the latest news, and for that Deidara was willing to bear an empty stomach.

Shortly after Sasori finished eating, Deidara made his way back to the deck. There was little mess left from the raid and the ship looked more or less clean. Noticing him, Madara motioned for him to come closer. Deidara obliged.

"Go help Kauro dispose of the hostages," the Captain ordered. "He's in the cellar. You should have no trouble finding him."

Deidara turned on his heel. The thought of what he was being forced to do again did not fill him with horror and nausea like it used to. It held a sense of familiarity as his body had gone through the routine many times already. Pull out the gun, aim for the head, pull the trigger. Repeat. It was more the calmness that enveloped him despite the circumstances that scared him. How had he become used to killing so quickly?

While walking down the stairs to the cellar, it never occurred to the blond to question the reason why the pirates took hostages upon the ship, when they never bothered demanding for ransom. His only question was why Madara had assumed that he would have no trouble finding the hostages, when there were literally dozens of rooms in the cellar. Did he mean that the hostages were held in the same room as his servants had been in? That particular thought did manage to pour some unease into the boy, proving that the pirate life had yet to fully grown on him.

It was only when the screams of a woman reached him through the hallway that Deidara finally caught on. A wave of nausea lurched through his stomach, he froze in his tracks and listened to the voice until it quieted. Deidara realized he had been holding his breath until he exhaled when the voice quieted. He took a ginger step forwards.

Then the shrieking began again.

Deidara grasped the grip of a pistol. He proceeded down the hallway towards the sound until he reached the room from which the sound was coming from. The door to the room was cracked open and from behind it Deidara could clearly make out the words of a hysterical woman and the rough sound of a pirate's voice as he yelled obscenities at the female. A snapping sound sounded through the air as the man's fist presumably made contact with the woman's face.

Deidara stood still like a stone statue. His body was paralyzed as his hand held the pistol's handle in its tight grasp. He could feel himself pale and a drop of sweat run down from his forehead as he stood behind the door, not wanting to go in, not wanting to leave, either.

The reason for bringing hostages onto the ship was made obvious.

Even after declaring so bravely that there was nothing worse left for the pirates to throw at him, this had to be the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low. It pained him physically to know that every second that went by with him just standing there was a second filled with the most dreadful nightmare for that British woman. Even if he did not know her, even if it had got nothing to do with him, Deidara still felt guilt and agony swallow him.

He knew what it was like to be in that woman's shoes. He knew that everything - even death - was better than that.

Swinging his foot forward, Deidara kicked the door wide open, catching the man sweating over the woman off guard. He glared at him, irritated because of the interruption, and from behind his head Deidara could see the woman's face. To the blond's horror, that tortured face could hardly be called a woman - she looked younger than Deidara.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Deidara pulled out his gun and pointed it at the girl. Without a word, he pulled the trigger and sent a bullet through her head.

Shaken by the act, the man bolted up from the ground and jumped threateningly towards the teen when the shining barrel pointing at him made him halt.

"What's with yer, ye addled mongrel?! Can't you see we busy here?!"

Deidara gave him a long cold stare. "Captain's waiting for us to dispose of them."

"Keep yer commanding tone to yerself! Ye better learn yer place, lubber, or I shall send thy tiny head off the-"

Deidara took a quick step towards him, raising the pistol to meet the man's neck and pulling out another gun, directing it at his lower regions. With a hissing voice he spat, "Listen, you filthy piece of meat with cheese for a brain - there's more where that bullet came from and I'm not scared to use it. One more body to carry won't make a difference to me - only more food for me and the rest of the pox-faced swines. So wrap that meaty blade of grass up and help me clean this up or I'll put God out of his misery by blowing your rotten head off."

With those words, he pushed past the man and heaved the dead body onto his back, dragging it out of the room. He got it up to the deck and without hesitation pushed it overboard into the water. He felt numb as he trod down the flights of stairs into the basement, not showing any difference in expression upon finding the corpses of the other hostages in another room. His movements were automatic, absentminded. He wasn't thinking, he was keeping his head as vacant as possible and figured it to be the best. He did not want past memories flooding him.

Having disposed of roughly half of the bodies, Deidara decided to leave the rest up to the Kauro guy. There was something weighing on his mind and thus he made his way through the hallways back to his home compartment.

Sasori raised his head upon the sound of the door being opened and raised an eyebrow when he saw the blond enter. He hadn't been expecting such an early arrival.

"Sasori, I have something I want to ask you," Deidara said as he pushed the door closed after himself, leaning against it with his back. His look was serious, but gave nothing away.

"You have my attention," Sasori said.

Deidara paused, the silence bearing a heavy atmosphere. Sasori noticed him avoiding his gaze and hiding behind the fringe more than usual. Patiently he waited for him to get out the words he needed to say.

"Sasori," Deidara started, "have you been in charge of _taking care_ of the hostages before their disposal, too?" Blue eye moved up from the ground and went to examine the redhead. The latter was sitting on the bed with an expressionless look. The question had been vague, but Deidara had the feeling Sasori knew what he was hinting to. His tone of voice and the look in his eye spoke louder than words.

Deidara waited for an answer in the silence until Sasori turned his head and looked away. That was an answer enough and the blond nodded.

"I see" was all he said. Straightening up and turning his back on the redhead, he twisted around and already had his hand on the door handle when a firm hand reached over his shoulder against the door, holding it closed.

"Do you hate me now?" the voice from behind the blond asked calmly. "Does my touch repel you?" A finger ran across Deidara's jawline as he turned his head to look at the redhead. His hand rose to grab a hold of the finger on his face as a round blue eye bore into a set of brown ones.

"I'd never hate you, Danna," Deidara whispered, a single teardrop prickling in his eye as he leaned into the touch. As his body turned his other hand came up to cup Sasori's cheek and with his eye closed Deidara pressed his lips against the other's closed mouth.

The teen was pressed hard against the door as Sasori's lips hungrily devoured his. The redhead's hands slid down to his waist and pulled him closer, travelling beneath the shirt and sliding across the skin.

That one teardrop rolled down from the blond's eye, running down his cheek where Sasori's lips caught it and swallowed it. Sasori pulled the teen away from the door and plopped down on the bed, guiding Deidara onto his lap as he propped his own back against the wall. His lips were nibbling at the blond's neck as they continued lower until cloth got in the way.

The shirt was pulled off and tossed away as Sasori's lips proceeded lower. A low moan escaped Deidara's mouth. It didn't take long for his pants to come off as well. He showed no resistance to Sasori, he had long ago decided to put the redhead before himself. The hands that held him were firm but warm and comforting, Deidara did not want to be let go of.

After the hold on him loosened and he was set down on the bed, his hand caught the hem of Sasori's shirt, pulling on it until the redhead lowered himself onto the mattress as well, allowing the blond to snuggle him.

They stayed there for a while as Deidara eventually dozed off. Sasori stayed awake, listening to the boy's breathing, a deep frown creasing his forehead.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	13. Chapter 13

_I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everyone's reviews. Even by those who do not review every chapter but then sometimes still decide to review. It's very nice of you and I thank you._

_Seeing how I got so many nice reviews even after being away for a year, I felt a bit bad for the tease at the end of the last chapter (You: YOU'VE FEELINGS?!11?), so I decided to... elaborate. /laughs. So basically this is how it all really went down and what happened next:_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 13<strong>_

"I'd never hate you," Deidara whispered as he turned his body to face Sasori. A single tear ran down his cheek and he cupped the other's cheek, looking at him with sincere blue eyes. Moving slowly and closing his eye, Deidara pressed his lips against Sasori's. It was then that the redhead's hold on him tightened and the teen was roughly pushed against the door, Sasori's mouth devouring his hungrily. Deidara could feel one hand gripping his hair while the other made its way beneath his shirt and up his stomach, sensually sliding across the skin. Deidara emitted a moan.

The one teardrop on the blond's face had reached his jawline and Sasori's lips slid down from Deidara's mouth to catch it. Deidara raised his chin to give better access to his neck towards which Sasori's mouth was moving as he pulled the teen away from the door and guided him to the bed. As he rested his own back against the wall he pulled the blond onto his lap, his lips nibbling on the neck and moving downwards until cloth got in the way.

"Do you trust me, Deidara?" Sasori whispered as his hands tugged at the other's shirt.

"Yes," the blond breathed and raised his hands to allow his shirt to be pulled off and tossed onto the floor. Sasori's lips covered his entire chest with kisses before travelling up again to meet his mouth. The redhead's tongue explored his mouth and played with his tongue passionately as the older male's hands ran down his body to the hem of his pants.

Deidara did not even think about it; he just lifted his hips high enough for both his and Sasori's pants to be slid down to reveal the required body parts. Deidara's head rested on the other's shoulder as Sasori used his saliva as lubrication and guided the blond's butt to his length. Slowly did Deidara slide down, wincing a bit at the foreign feeling. As Sasori's lips found his again, he slowly slid up, thus beginning the continuous motion that eventually fastened in pace.

Rocking up and down, heat started building up from the skins rubbing against each other and Deidara uttered a loud moan as Sasori's hand travelled down to grip the blond's member. Deidara was panting, his breath mixing with Sasori's as they had to pull apart, only to connect lips a few moments later. A foreign sensation was spreading out in the blond's body, the heat and tickling feeling feeding him hunger and a sense of dissatisfaction that left him wanting more and more.

Sweat covered his forehead as well as Sasori's as they broke the kiss and looked each other in the eye for a long moment, blue eyes meeting brown. The sweat had dampened the older male's red hair, sticking it to his forehead and heavy breathing filled the room as the rocking motion halted for a second during the eye contact.

Deidara could feel the burning sensation in his body driving him insane and leaving little room for thought. He just felt the need to blurt out the words on his mind that had been there for the longest time but had yet to make it past Deidara's lips. All the feelings were swelling up in the boy and he felt that if he did not let some of them out then, he would burst.

So when the motion came to a short halt, and him and Sasori were left staring at each other, both breathless, Deidara whispered, "I love you, Sasori."

Sasori froze for the shortest moment until Deidara slid down on his length again and his hand on the blond's member, making the younger male moan. Lust blurred his vision as his lips attacked Deidara's neck, then his lips.

"I love you, too, Deidara."

The rocking gained pace, the swift movement of up and down quickly pushing the two male's closer to the edge until Deidara abruptly arched his back, his entire body tensing and a loud scream escaping his lips. White liquid spurted from his member, dirtying Sasori's hand as the latter kept thrusting. Deidara was crying out from the redhead pounding into his extremely sensitive ass until Sasori tensed as well and let out a long moan, coming, too.

They stayed still for a couple of minutes, Deidara's head resting on Sasori's shoulder until the redhead decided it was time to move. Carefully he lowered the blond onto the bed and took his length out, pulling his pants up. A frown creased his forehead as his mind began to clear and comprehend what had just gone down. Had he really just crossed the final line?

Sasori was about to get off the bed when his shirt got hooked on something. He turned to see Deidara clinging onto it tightly, the younger male's face expressing uncertainty and a plea for him to stay. Sasori could not help his face that softened at the sight of Deidara lying on the bed so innocent and vulnerable before him. The moment he saw him he knew that he could not leave just yet. He could not abandon Deidara in the bed like that and walk out of the door himself, leaving the blond to wonder whether he had done something wrong or if he was mad at him.

Sasori sighed and lay down beside Deidara, letting the other crawl onto his chest and use him as a pillow. He wrapped a hand around the blond but knew that the hand that was wrapped around him was a lot tighter, it was as though the blond was afraid he might leave any second and was now clinging to him with all his might to stop that from happening.

Sasori bit the insides of his mouth as he caressed the blond hair, soothing the younger male to sleep. It was certain now, he had run out of time. He needed to act then or he could wave everything goodbye.

When Deidara opened his eyes, it was dark in the compartment. He rubbed his eyes, trying to recall when exactly he had fallen asleep and figure out whether it was evening or night already. His body felt weary and lazily he rolled over in the bed, his body meeting the wall. It was then that he realized he had rolled over the entire bed without meeting a single obstacle.

He was alone.

"Sasori?" Deidara called out and sat up in a flash, wincing at the pang of pain that pierced through him when sitting on his butt. He moved onto his knees to shift the weight off the sensitive spot and turned on the lamp on the table. It lit up the room with dim yellow light and revealed it to be empty.

Instantly Deidara's eyes jerked down to grope his pocket, only to find Sasori's keys, which the redhead had given to him when he had got wounded, still there.

"The door," Deidara muttered and bolted up, hurrying to the closed door. He pressed down the handle and the door opened. "Goddammit," Deidara cursed, "I forgot to lock it." He whipped around and got the shirt from the floor and slid it on. He did his pants properly and got the guns and sword from the floor before dashing out of the compartment. He ran through the hallways and up the stairs, throwing open the door to the deck.

The sight revealed before him made his eyes widen in disbelief and he instinctively took a step back. The whole deck was in chaos, there were people sword-fighting and gun shots could be heard everywhere. Deidara's eyes glanced at both sides of the ship, but no other ship could be seen. If there was no other ship there, who the hell were fighting?

He scanned the place and could only spot familiar faces. Trying to stay invisible and close to the edges, Deidara made his way further to the deck. Instincts told him that that was the only possible place he could find Sasori. The thought of the redhead fighting with his injury still unhealed made his blood run cold.

The farther Deidara got, the more confusing things got. He saw two men fighting against each other, both of whose faces he was sure he recognized. What was going on?! He looked out onto the broad blue sea and could still not spot a single other ship. Had the other one sunk already?

Deidara could sense someone sneaking up on him from behind. Striking fast as lightning, he drew out a sword and swung around, the edge of the blade quickly finding the attacker's chest. He stilled when he saw that the other had done the same and was holding the sword still against the fabric of his shirt.

The attacker had silver hair tied up behind his head and dark eyes, which peered into Deidara's.

"So you're the lapdog thanks to whom Orochimaru was beheaded by that redheaded swab trying to get the Captain's spot, ey?" the man said and Deidara's eyes widened as he finally put two and two together. He could remember Sasori talking about it before, the thing Madara feared the most and to prevent which he wanted Sasori killed.

_"Mutiny_," Deidara whispered.

The man barked a laugh. "_Mutiny_," he mocked, "let's just see how strong the mutiny leader is when I stick a blade through his mongrel's chest!"

And with that the two flung into a heated sword fight in which the man quickly gained the upper hand. The reason for that could mostly be found in the distraction for Deidara that was his worry for Sasori. He did not have time to be fighting with this bastard when Sasori could have been getting killed somewhere in this chaos!

Dodging an attack, Deidara quickly struck forwards once to have the man back down. In the same beat he drew out a gun with his other hand and pointed the barrel at the man's chest. One shot and the man lay dead before his feet.

Deidara did not spare him a second glance - that showed exactly how used to killing he had got by then. He continued along the edge of the ship to find Sasori when he caught sight of the movement on the poop deck. It was dark so Deidara could not see the figures well, but the hat and flashy outfit was a dead giveaway for Madara. And if Madara was there, the man he was fighting must have been Sasori.

Deidara was contemplating his options between running up there to help and staying where he was when he caught sight of another man on the other side of the deck staring at the same spot he was and pulling out a gun. Fearing him to be aiming at Sasori, Deidara ran closer to the man and pulled his own gun out on the way. The man noticed him coming no sooner when it was already too late and he was smacked across the face with the iron pistol. Lying on the ground he only got the chance to open his eyes for a split-second before a sword was put through his heart by the blond.

It was the same moment that Deidara saw a tri-cornered hat fall down from the poop deck, the owner of which could be none other than Madara. Sharply Deidara's eyes glanced up and caught sight of Sasori pulling his sword out of the man's chest, who was leaning limply against the railing.

Relief washed over the blond when he saw Sasori being alright and he started for the stairs leading up to the redhead. His first instinct had been to throw his arms around Sasori and scold him for being reckless like that, but whatever he had begun to say got stuck in his throat when he saw the redhead.

Sasori was holding a rope in his hands and was tying it to the railing. The night's darkness hid his face but something about his way of being stopped Deidara from running to him like he would have wanted to. Deidara's eyes followed the rope from the railing and had just gotten as far for him to realize the other end was tied to Madara when Sasori lifted up the corpse and pushed it over the railing, leaving the body hanging from the poop deck for everybody to see.

Deidara gasped, which caught the redhead's attention. Deidara had no idea why he winced under Sasori's gaze and was holding his breath until the latter turned away towards the deck and looked down at the chaos on the deck. Sometime then a cannon shot could be heard, which caught the pirates' attention. Everybody could see that the mutiny was over and the result of it hanging for everyone to see above the doors to the captain's compartment.

"_Listen up, you poxies!_" Sasori shouted as the wind blew in his face and Deidara took a step back from him, a shudder running down his back. Something was wrong, this was not how Sasori had been with him. This was not even how the blond had ever seen him act towards other sailors; he had always been cold and unhesitating, but this voice, _these actions_ - they seemed almost sadistic.

"_The time for nursery is over. We are set on course towards the British waters. Every ship we see before reaching there will be looted. No quarter. Every person returning to the ship without a worthy amount of loot will be disposed of. No exceptions. This is a dictatorship. Every person to disobey my command shall be whipped and then killed. No mercy."_

Deidara had paled and was shivering all over his body by the time Sasori had finished the speech. The redhead then turned to him and walked closer. Deidara backed up until his back touched the railing and Sasori came to a stop a feet from him, saying, "The same goes for you, brat."

With those words the new captain left down the stairs.

-x-

Deidara was lying in bed staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. On the table stood three full bottles of rum and more food than he had ever seen anyone receive for lunch, save for Madara. Deidara had not even touched them. The door was locked, but the key was not in Deidara's pocket anymore. Sasori had taken it with him after locking him up there. He had only returned once to bring food and had stayed for long enough to let Deidara know he was no longer more than a mere hostage and was to stay in the compartment until they reached England.

Deidara's mind was blank. He guessed he was still too shocked to actually feel anything, he had still yet to convince himself of this all being anything but a dream. A horrible dream. A nightmare. It could not have been real, not after Sasori confessing his feelings to him only a day earlier.

Or had he after all? Had it really been Sasori who had said those sacred three words to Deidara or had it merely been Deidara's own imagination, encouraged by lust and the heat of the moment?

No.

For certain it had had to be Sasori, Deidara had to believe that. He had to believe it as though it was the most certain thing in the world, otherwise he would have nothing, nothing at all to believe in anymore. And when it came down to that point, he might have as well been dead.

-x-

A distant sound of door opening and footsteps nearing reached Deidara through his slumber. Slowly he arose and opened his eyes, before which everything seemed hazy. He rubbed them to make better sense of what was happening and opened them again. The figure before him made his heart drop a couple of miles.

The figure in the room was Sasori.

Only it was not Sasori. It was the ice-cold and merciless twin brother of Sasori who showed no signs of empathy, and had everything but his personality in common with Sasori.

Or that's what Deidara would have liked to believe at least.

Silence enveloped them as everything Deidara would have wanted to say or ask got stuck in his throat and he could not get them out. Sasori, on the other hand, showed no signs of willingness to start the conversation himself. His dark brown eyes, which looked diabolically black to Deidara, stared at the blond without him uttering a word.

The silence was killing Deidara. At last he asked, "Why did you come?", his voice no more than a whisper to prevent it from cracking.

Sasori's eyes darted from him to the food remaining untouched on the table.

"You haven't eaten anything," he marked.

"I'm not going to, either," Deidara retorted. "Not before you tell me what's gotten into you."

"Sense," Sasori said. "Now will you eat?"

"No," Deidara snapped. "I've decided that I want to die and meet the devil, since I already fucked his son."

Sasori sighed harshly and scraped his hair back in frustration, turning away from the blond. He was still as impossible as ever.

"Two weeks," he said and turned back to the younger male. "Two weeks and I'll let you go. We'll be in England then."

"Why should I believe you?" Deidara demanded. "Everything else you've ever told me was a lie." By 'everything' Deidara obviously only meant the words from the previous night, since he had considered that _his_ everything.

Sasori hissed and took a threatening step forwards, stomping his foot loudly against the wooden floor. "_Never_," he growled, "have I lied to you. _Never_. I'm a pirate. If you dared to hope for anything more than this, you've only your own naivety to blame."

Deidara could feel his eyes tearing up, his vision of Sasori's red hair and face becoming blurred. "I hate you," he whispered, voice throaty with emotion.

"Good," Sasori said and turned to go. He halted when he heard the metallic sound of the hammer of a pistol being pulled back. He did not have to look behind himself to know that the barrel was pointed at him.

"What if I shoot?" Deidara asked with a wavering voice that he tried to keep steady. "What if I kill you? You broke my heart, bastard."

"You can't," Sasori said bluntly without turning. "You still love me."

The words hit Deidara like daggers and pierced through his already torn heart. His hand was shaking and he lowered the pistol, feeling nauseous. Tears of helplessness flowed down his cheeks. He could not believe the man that had held him in his protective arms so little time ago could be now this cruel and uncaring towards him. How could a person change so quickly? Furthermore, why had Deidara never thought this possible?

Waves of hopeless despair washed over him, burying him under an ocean. He just wanted the pain to end, he did not want to feel anything. He knew he needed a change of tactics.

He raised the gun again and pressed the muzzle against his temple. "What if I kill myself?" he asked. "Do you not care about that, either?"

Sasori turned around slowly. He took in the younger male's red eyes and pale, sickly looking face, the way he had looked like at the beginning of their journey. In less than a day every improvement that had been made for the blond had suddenly disappeared and left him in an even worse state than before.

Sasori looked at the gun.

With fast-paced movements he walked up to the blond and snapped the gun away, making sure to retrieve the second one beneath the bed as well. With those in his hands, he swung around and exited the room, closing the door after himself. Deidara could hear the key turn in the keyhole and footsteps fading away.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	14. Chapter 14

_DID YOU KNOW THAT THE 87 PEOPLE THAT DID NOT REVIEW ON THE LAST CHAPTER ALL DIED THROUGH THEIR WORST FEAR AND ALL REVIEWERS GOT LAID BY THEIR CRUSH THE NEXT NIGHT AFTER REVIEWING._

_THIS IS LEGIT TRUST ME._

_STATISTICS MAN._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

The wagon led by a pair of horses was rough and shaky on the road, creating loud noise as the large wheels rolled over the rocks. Deidara's hands were tied together and he was sitting alone in the darkness, only a faint ray of light managing to make it through the miniature crack between the locked doors. He had no idea where he was being taken to, but he knew that they were in England - Deidara had recognized the harbour. It was a small one, the kind the pirates ever threw the anchor into the water in to avoid unwanted attention.

It had been exactly two weeks since Deidara had seen Sasori. Officially, anyway. He had caught a glimpse of him on the way of being escorted off the ship by two men in black - part of the same group that Deidara had seen stalking the pirates. Turned out they had been working for Sasori all along. Why, Deidara would never know but could guess. Perhaps to kill off anyone Sasori feared to get in the way of his master plan?

The plan... yes. The same plan Sasori had had from the beginning, probably even before he'd taken Deidara onto the ship. As far as the blond was concerned, the plan was almost over and done with - Sasori had once told him he was a key to something and Deidara could only conclude him being taken back to England was the key being inserted into the lock. What exactly the lock was, Deidara did not hope to find out. He had no hope whatsoever, anymore. It had all died bit by bit as he had been left alone in the compartment, Sasori sending his men in his place to take food to him.

Sasori had not shown up to explain nor had he sent anyone else to explain to Deidara where he would be taken. Deidara did not particularly care, either. Everything was gone and lost for him, there was nothing left for him to lose. That was why it did not matter where they took him - things could not get any worse, they had nothing left to take from him.

His family had been taken from him - his real parents had been gone for the longest time and his foster parents had been killed, too. Only his step-sister was still alive, but hell knew where she was. Deidara's foster family had not been too important to him, but they had provided him with a shelter and food, and most importantly - sea journeys.

Deidara's heart had been taken from him - made vulnerable by love, it had been torn to shreds and burned to ashes by Sasori. Deidara was left completely numb, he could not even feel pain anymore. He believed himself to have cried every single tear his body had in the past two weeks - there just were no tears left. Along with the tears, feelings had left his body as well as he had cried them out. Now there was only numbness.

Hope had been taken from him. They say hope is the last to die and Deidara guessed that meant everything else inside him must have already been dead.

He only had his existence left. Some people might have called it a life, but Deidara did not think he possessed the qualities of being alive anymore. He just existed, he had no purpose, no goal, no nothing. He only had his existence, but did not value it enough. Despite Sasori's promise, if the pirates were going to take kill him, Deidara would not have minded. Maybe he would have even thanked them.

If they did not, however, Deidara was not sure what to do then. What would he do with the remains of his existence when he had no willpower to do anything? The matter did not worry him, though. As he had witnessed during the past two weeks, it was the way world worked - even if his life had stopped, everything around him still kept going. The ship had continued sailing even when he had broken down and the wagon kept moving even without him wanting to go anywhere.

That was the way of the world - it just kept going, not bothered by small existences.

-x-

Sasori was dressed in smart clothes to fit in with the aristocracy of 17th century England as he stood before tall gates of what was known as the Iwaga mansion. With all but one of the members of the family missing and presumably dead, there was only one person that could have taken charge of the building - not someone Sasori would have preferred as a business partner due to their gender, but a person with enough power to grant his wish nonetheless.

A new butler came to greet Sasori at the gate and usher him inside to the library in the house where an elegant porcelain tea set had been placed on the table before the fire place. The butler asked Sasori to take a seat and promised for the lady of the mansion to be with him shortly.

Sasori ignored the offer for a seat and moved to look over the books in the nearby shelf as he waited. The doors of the library were opened again soon and swiftly Sasori turned around to face the young woman with hair that reminded the man of what he did not want to remember. Even though not related, their parents' upbringing had moulded Deidara and his step-sister similarly.

Ino Iwaga was almost the same age as Deidara and had a similar hairdo as he, the main difference being in the shade of blonde. She had a beautiful young and pale face with just the right amount of makeup on it, which could hide all the imperfections her skin might have had but not the gloomy look in her eyes which she tried to hide behind an amicable smile. Those were the eyes of a person who had been through a lot, but still kept moving forward. Sasori could admit he admired the quality. It was the same Deidara had had - until Sasori had broken him completely.

No, not completely. Sasori did not believe that, or at least he did not want to. He was certain the blond would get over it, just like he had got over everything else in the past. It was in his nature to keep moving forward, even with his mind shattered to pieces. He would just eventually pick up the pieces and would become stronger than he had been before.

In the end, it was for his own good.

"Good morning, mister...?" Ino trailed off with a polite smile as she approached and offered her hand to the man.

"Akasuna," Sasori said, taking the hand and kissing the knuckles gently. "A pleasure to meet you."

"I'm certain the pleasure is all mine," Ino said politely and motioned for the redhead to take a seat. The two sat down on opposite couches. "I must say your urgent request to see me was rather sudden. I don't get many visitors anymore, not after..." she trailed off. "All business visits are directed to the secretaries first."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Sasori said. Ino nodded. Little did she know there was more than a gesture of sympathy to the man's words - an actual apology. "If I may be so bold, then my visit is actually directly linked to the incident."

Ino's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

"I want to propose an exchange," Sasori said. "I know your late Father was in direct contact with them, but I'm unsure of how familiar you are with the Akatsuki?"

Ino's expression turned puzzled. "The pirate group wiped out years ago? They used to tell us horror stories about them when we were little. How the Akatsuki could take down 10 ships-"

"_Sixteen_," Sasori muttered under his breath.

"-and their captain, the Red Scorpion, could alone kill an entire crew."

"So, we comprehend each other," Sasori said, content. "Quite a formidable group they were, indeed."

"Not anymore, I should think. As I have heard, they were taken down by the Royal Navy half a decade ago." Ino poured some tea into the two cups in front of her and offered one of them to Sasori, who declined politely. She then raised the cup to her lips and took a sip before setting it back down with a clink against the plate. "Thank heavens," she added. "My apologies, but I'm afraid I don't see the relevance of the Akatsuki currently."

"Do you know about the ship Akatsuki?" Sasori continued, paying no heed to her indirect request for explanation.

"Did it not go down with them?"

A small smile crossed Sasori's lips as he looked at Ino, a dangerous glow sparkling in his eyes for a split-second before it disappeared. "I'm afraid not," he said. "It was taken by the Royal Navy and later purchased by a private collector, whom you are familiar with."

"I see," Ino said. "Am I now? Would you relieve me of my curiosity and tell me who?"

"Esquire Iwaga."

Ino almost spilled her drink. "My _Father_ - my _late _Father - owned a pirate ship?!" the lady all but exclaimed. "I'm afraid you're horribly mistaken, my dear sir."

Sasori's smile bared his teeth and the glow returned to his eyes. "I'm confident I'm not," he insisted. "My ship was in Esquire Iwaga's possession for five years and now it has been passed on to you."

Ino let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, sir, I think I heard you wrong - did you just say _your _ship?"

Sasori disregarded the question. "Here is my proposal of exchange - your brother for my ship."

Ino's expression showed that she was convinced the man was attempting to be witty and pretended an amused face. As Sasori's face remained serious, hers returned to be as well.

"You are not joking," she realized.

"Indeed I'm not."

"You're lunatic!" Ino exclaimed and shot up from her seat. "The Akatsuki was killed in the battle and the survivors hanged! It was all half a decade ago!"

"Some killed, yes," Sasori admitted calmly. "Half of my crew, to be exact, was slaughtered by those snobby poxies. The other half imprisoned. Not quite hanged, though, as you can see. Unless you believe in ghosts. I assure you I am not one."

"I don't believe you," Ino whispered. "You're a lunatic. Please, leave my house at once. The Akatsuki is dead."

Sasori's fingers moved to undo the first few buttons of his shirt, revealing a tattoo on the left side of his chest. Ino's eyes widened in horror. She had seen the mark before - his Father had shown it to her and Deidara with pride gleaming in his eyes when telling them about the capturing of the Akatsuki. It had made him believe England's navy was a force of nature no-one could stand against and he had wanted Ino and Deidara to believe it as well.

"_Oh my God_."

Sasori was glad he had managed to convince the woman with such little effort. Had she not been familiar with the mark, the whole incident could have turned a lot bothersome than it needed to be. He stood up.

"Worry not, I'm only here for my ship. And I can guarantee you your brother is unharmed and will be handed to you the moment I set sail again with my ship."

"W-what about my parents?" Ino asked. "Where are they?"

"They weren't so lucky," Sasori admitted. "But it's the young that possess the most value, are they not? They need to carry on the legacy. Once it has been passed on to them, there's really no more use for the parents, is there?"

Tears were prickling in Ino's eyes as she hugged herself with one hand and covered her mouth to muffle the sobs with the other. "How... how can you talk about human life like that?" she asked.

Sasori shrugged like it was no big deal. For him it was not. "Pirate." He gave the lady a saccharine smile. "Your brother, my ship. Do we have an accord?"

-x-

The doors of the wagon were opened and the sudden bright light momentarily blinded Deidara. He squeezed his eye shut and used his tied up hands to cover his eyes, when someone grabbing his arm and shoving him out made him lose his shield. He fell on the ground on his knees, the chilly wind blowing at him and crawling under his loose shirt, making the hairs on his back and arms prickle with cold.

"Get up, we don't have all day," the man in a black suit commanded and pulled Deidara up onto his feet. His legs felt heavy and slightly unsteady due to the lack of food. His messy and dirty hair had fallen in front of his face as he stood, eyes on the ground, waiting another shove to get him going in some direction. His face showed none of the surprise he should have felt when a knife came up to his hands and sawed through the rope confining his hands.

The arrival of another horse carriage sounded through the air and Deidara slowly looked up, squinting his eye at the carriage in the distance. A figure, their gender announced by the long dress and wide brim hat tied with two wide ribbons meeting under the chin to the head, hurried down from the carriage and towards him. Deidara felt a shove against his back and took the couple of forced steps forward, glancing around him then and seeing the men in black leaving.

For a moment panic struck the blond - the men were leaving! They were leaving and with them left also all connections he possessed to Sasori. Without them, he had nothing. It took a second for him to remember that Sasori did not want him anymore and he had nothing anymore anyway.

With a blank expression Deidara slowly turned his head and was abruptly knocked off his balance by the death grip embrace that came at him at such a high speed. He would have fallen down, had the woman's arms not been holding him securely in place. It was evident that the woman was used to bearing heavy weights and burdens.

"_Deidara_," the woman sobbed into the boy's dirty shirt that smelled of sea and rum, neither of which either of them paid attention to, "I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Even though "alright" was hardly the word he would have used to describe himself at that moment, Deidara did not bother correcting his step-sister. While her well-being was not something he had worried himself over for a long time, he was not interested in spreading the deadly feeling he had inside anywhere outside his body. It was his to keep and his alone, everyone else was better off not knowing.

"Let's get you back home, Dei. You'll finally be safe there."

-x-

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Deidara muttered, sitting in an armchair, staring in front of him with a blank look. He had been all cleaned up by then - his golden hair was back to its smooth self and the rags he had been wearing had been changed for a more elegant attire; nothing too confining and fancy, however, as Deidara had no interest in showing himself in public anyway and his distaste for those itchy type of clothes had survived all those months he'd spent away from home. "It's open."

"Dinner has been served, young sir. Madam Iwaga has requested for you to join her in the dining room."

The words triggered a kind of a flashback in Deidara's mind to months before, back to when pirates had only been a story in a book to the boy and nothing something a part of his reality. A lot of things were now the same way they had been then, only in essence nothing had remained the same. The words may have been the same, but the people were not. It was not Sebastian anymore, it was a new family butler whose name Deidara had yet to learn. It was not Deidara anymore, either. It was his body, but his soul was dead and its absence could be heard in the voice that had spoken the words.

"I shall be there in a moment," Deidara muttered.

The butler bowed and took his leave, exiting the room.

Deidara kept staring in front of him for a few more minutes, before he finally got up and left the room as well, walking downstairs to the dining room. Everything in the house was just as he remembered, but his memory of it was like a dream - like he remembered it from another lifetime, not the one he was currently in. All the paintings on the walls, the elegant ornaments carved into the wooden handrail his hand slid down - they held a sense of familiarity, yet seemed so alien, almost like it was only his second time laying eyes on them.

The table had been set for three, which would have surprised Deidara, had he cared. He did not, but could also not recall his step-sister mentioning inviting anyone over.

Ino was already seated behind the table and Deidara followed suit. Her plate was empty and he did not bother waiting for her to start filling it as he picked up a fork and a knife and cut himself a wing off the body of a fried chicken. A servant came by to fill his glass and was about to offer his assistance at getting more food onto young sir's plate, but Deidara waved him off without a second thought. Whatever little patience he might have had before at waiting for others to serve him food and get him the right amount of everything he wanted, it had all died in that cramped compartment and noisy bars they'd spent nights at.

Ino was still not eating. Her face seemed troubled. "It's not like him to be late," she said, more to himself.

"Who?" Deidara inquired without much interest. If his step-sister had invited someone important over, she might have wanted to reconsider inviting Deidara down to eat with them - there could not be much left of Deidara's manners as there was not much left of anything in him. Not that he cared if he made a bad impression. It was his sister's concern, not his, and he did not care whom he made the bad impression on. She could invite over anyone she wanted.

"Uncle."

Deidara's hand holding a spoon halted mid-air on its way into a bowl of peas.

"_What?_" he all but snarled, for the first time since he had got back turning his full attention to the woman sitting at the end of the table.

Ino looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you invite him?!" Deidara demanded, ignoring her question.

"Deidara," Ino said in a voice of disbelief, "he's our only family now. Aside from that I invited him to discuss business. He's been a lot of help in helping me take over our parents' business and I'm sure he'll be able to help you, too."

"I don't _want_ his help!" Deidara spat. "I don't want _anything _from him or _anything_ to do with him! I don't want to see him!"

"What's turned you so hostile towards your own family?" Ino asked, an accusing note in her tone, but Deidara also sensed dismay. "Was it the pirates?"

"It could have been, or it could have been the physical _abuse _I received from the guy when I was six years old!"

Ino sighed harshly. "Deidara, it's not becoming to bring up those things like that, you must have forgotten that. And our uncle - the man to whom I own a lot of gratitude after all he's done for me during your absence - he has, indeed, done a lot of bad things in the past and alcohol did a lot of bad things to him. But it's over now, he has changed."

"Your precious paedophile is the bloody reason I can't stand the sight of your gold-stitch attires and all the taboos and euphemism-filled conversations! Doesn't any of you ever get sick of how _feigned _and _cowardly _all of you are?! You can't even have sex without a blanket on in a pitch black darkness-"

_"DEIDARA_!" Ino all but shouted and slammed a hand against the table, so that the plates and mugs before her all clattered. She herself seemed the most frightened due to her outburst. Deidara could see tears in her eyes. She covered her mouth to muffle a quiet sob. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've suffered and mourned for long and it has not been easy. I understand your feelings, brother, but please, just sit through this one dinner with us."

Deidara gave her a narrowed look, showing no sympathy for her step-sister's misery. "I really don't think you understand," he said.

"Deidara-"

"_Madam_," the butler appeared on the doorway with a bow, "Esquire Iwaga has arrived."

"Thank you, Claude," Ino said breathlessly.

Deidara pushed the chair back in one loud movement and sat up.

"_Deidara_," Ino pleaded, looking at him with tearful eyes, "I'm begging you. Please, sit down."

Deidara's face remained cold as a stone. "I figure it'd be wise for me to leave and you should be glad I choose to do so," he said, "because the next time I see him, I'll slaughter him with a barker." (A/N: barker - pirate slang for pistol.)

Deidara made his way back to his room but soon found out that he could not sit still there anymore, not with the conversation still replaying in his mind. He grabbed a jacket and hurried downstairs, quickly pacing across the hall to the front doors, dreading the moment he might actually run into his uncle, especially since he did not currently have a gun on him. Getting one would be the first thing on his to-do list the next morning when he'd demand for his share of their parents' heritage from her sister. Not that he was actually interested in inheriting all the wealth, he just wanted a gun he could kill with.

Outside it was already getting darker, twilight lingering in the air together with light rain that instantly dampened the blonde hair as Deidara set his foot off the porch. In any different state of mind this would have caused nostalgia as it had been so long since Deidara had last set his foot under rain, which used to be a big part of his everyday life, quite unavoidable when living on the British Isles. Currently, however, Deidara could not care less. He was in a hurry to get out of the gates.

Had his mind not been so preoccupied, Deidara would have noticed the old horse carriage standing a few dozen feet outside the gates, sticking out with its inelegant look and cracked walls. However, Deidara did not notice and his first clue to something being off in the area was when he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

Then, of course, it was too late already.

The carriage veered off, leaving the aristocratic mansion behind.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	15. Chapter 15

_You thought the story was almost over, didn't you?_

_hahahahaha_

_NOPE_

_AND IDK WHEN IT'LL END_

_NOBODY KNOWS_

_nobody knows but meeee_

_I sometimes cryyyy_

_Oh, you thought I was the only one that knew? I was just singing P!nk. Seriously, nobody knows. We'll just have to keep going till someone dies._

_I'm rly looking forward to the next chap tho OwO prepare for plottwists!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

The compartment was dim and damp, the moisture in the air carrying an unpleasant smell that made Deidara wrinkle his nose in disgust as he was carried in, held captive by two pairs of strong arms.

"So this is the little bastard that's carrying on my bloodline," a gruff voice from the dark corner of the room said.

Deidara tried squinting his eyes to see the person who was obviously seeing him but to no avail as the oil lamp on the opposite wall could only illuminate one third of the room with bleak yellow light.

"If I didn't know you survived five months on a ship with Madara and the Red Scorpion on it, I would fuck a bitch right on my death bed just to have an alternative."

A string of coughs followed the words, sounding like the man's lungs were being sucked dry. A long breathy moan succeeded, and then the room fell into silence.

They waited for a minute or two, but the rasping voice never spoke again.

The two men on Deidara's sides released his arms and one of them stepped into the darkness where the voice had come from, shortly returning with a tri-cornered hat in his hands.

The smelly and rather vile-looking chapeau was placed on Deidara's head.

"Welcome to your new ship, Captain."

_Five years later_

Sasori was alone in the Captain's compartment, _his_ compartment, seated behind a table upon which a large map was spread out on. It had all the seas and continents marked on it, only the latter were a bit out of shape, which was all right, since they were of no importance to him. Sasori held no interest in land, it were the blue parts that captivated his interest.

To prove the utter insignificance of main land, the bottom of a tall bottle of rum covered the better half of Europe. On Asia lay a compass.

A pair of dividers in his hand, Sasori walked them across the ocean. He raised the bottle to his lips, not letting his eyes leave the map as he gulped down the drink. The bottle was set back down on its previous spot on the table and Sasori's hand kept moving the dividers until he reached his destination.

_"Thirteen_," he muttered as his eyes scrutinized the measured distance and markings he had previously made on it. "About two and a half weeks that makes till we reach Singapore. Two, should the wind serve us well. Aye, drinks to that." Yet again the bottom of the bottle was brought up to gaze at the ceiling as the liquid was poured down the pirate's throat. No sooner did he slam the bottle back down on the table, did the last drop leave it.

"I need a refill," he muttered to himself as he stared down at the empty bottle. That would have meant leaving the comforts of his compartment, which he felt reluctant towards. He had not left the room for days, not since the last raid.

There had been nothing special about that raid; on the contrary, it had been most like any other, which could have been the source of the problem. Even though Sasori did most not want to admit there was one.

But if there had been - which there certainly was not - it would have also been the reason for him locking himself up in his compartment. Although the door was technically not locked, it might as well have been, since no-one dared to come through the doors, especially not with an inmate hanging right above them.

Sasori made a habit of embellishing the ship with the bodies of treasonists and sometimes just those who stepped on one nerve too many of his.

Had there been a problem - which there was not - it could have been summed up in one word: boredom. A most terrible disease with no antidotes known to Sasori. That was why he preferred pretending the disease did not exist.

What could he possibly do about the fact that the thrill and anticipation that had once dominated his body had both completely dulled? No longer did he find sense of fulfilment in the weaponry in his possession or the usage of them - he could shed the blood of an entire crew on his own without a single spark lighting in his eyes. Even the ship now seemed dull to him. The fear its sight spread in everyone seeing it approach had been something he once had prided himself on. Now it just felt like a repetitive routine and he could not help but wonder why he had been born in a race of cowards.

The only thing that still held beauty in his eyes was the sea, which was why his compartment with its huge windows was the best place for residing. But even the sea could not provide peace for his restless mind, which was why he searched for it in empty bottles. Every futile attempt was a reason to try again, and now continuance required him to leave the compartment.

...or did it?

"Bloody hell," he grunted, "I'm the Captain."

Sasori heaved himself up and off the chair, heading towards the doors and pushing them open. He drew out a gun and shot a bullet in the air, which was probably unnecessary, since the opening of the doors had been enough to draw the attention of everyone on the deck.

"You," he said, pointing the pistol at the seaman that had just been scrubbing the floor. The man was up in a flash.

"Aye, Captain?"

"Get me twenty bottles before I count to ten or you're off the ship."

The man scurried off down to the cellar to get the bottles. Sasori sashayed back to his compartment, leaving one of the doors open, and plopped back down on his chair. He ran a hand across his face, rubbing his weary eyes. He had not been up for over four hours and already felt like going back to sleep. The way he was acting in the manner of a depressed teen pissed him off.

"Captain!" someone called from outside.

Feeling already irritable as he was, Sasori growled and turned around, ready to jump the first person in sight. "Why's getting me some rum causing such a ruckus-?"

A breathless pirate wearing a bandana around his ginger head entered the compartment in a rush, lacking the usual trepidation the crew expressed near their captain.

"_Sasori_-"

"Nagato," Sasori growled threateningly. While the fact that the both of them were a part of the original Akatsuki did make the two closer than others, he did not appreciate the lack of formality.

"Captain, aye," Nagato amended carelessly. "There's a ship in sight. And a black flag."

Pirates.

"So?" Sasori demanded, still failing to see a valid reason for the disturbance.

"They just hoisted the sign. They want a parley."

Sasori snorted humourlessly. The same moment three other pirates made their way into the room, carrying bottles of rum in their hands. Sasori motioned for them to drop them off in the corner and for one to be handed to him. He opened the bottle he received and took a long sip. When he cocked his head back down, the three pirates were gone and Nagato closed the door after them.

"You sure you're not overdoing it?" the latter asked, giving a pointed look towards the bottles.

A vein on Sasori's temple throbbed. If there was anything he despised, it was being told how to live. The other pirate was lucky he had been wise enough to wait for others to leave before making a comment like that; Sasori would not have spared a second thinking it over and would have put him to a rather quick death.

Between only the two of them, he let it go, though - as long as the topic was changed fast.

"What shall we do about the ship?"

"Parley, my ass," Sasori growled. "Tank them, bloody hell. Grab all that shines." He returned his attention to the bottle and turned his back on the other. When he did not hear footsteps leaving or the sound of the door being opened and closed, he turned back to Nagato.

"Did I stutter?"

"Nay, Capt'n," Nagato confirmed. "I just feel that you should know the watchman recognized the ship as the Shirotori."

That made Sasori arch an eyebrow. The name rang a bell. "Heard their captain died about half a decade ago. What're they still doing in the waters?"

"My sources claim that the captain had progeny who has taken over. Quite successfully, also. They have claimed nearly completely the Mediterranean and took out Regaria and Yougure that reigned over the Caribbean."

"Busy little fellows, eh?" Sasori muttered. "Wonder what business they have with us."

"Shall we accept the parley?"

Sasori raised his gaze to meet Nagato's and gave him one of his rare smiles. "Kill them all."

-x-

"Captain!" a pirate on the Shirotori called out. "They're not accepting the parley!"

The Captain of Shirotori smirked, gazing at the ship in the distance. They were approaching quicker than before, meaning the other ship was starting to slow down, probably preparing for an attack.

"I know, Sora. Sasori doesn't waste his priceless time on things as valueless as words." A bitter chuckle left their mouth.

"Then, why, Captain...?" Sora gazed questioningly at his Captain.

"The flag is so that we could get closer without raising suspicion of threat. In four minutes, set off the smoke bombs."

"Aye, Captain," Sora said and rushed off to carry out the orders. Despite being older than the leader, the guy followed each of the Captain's orders to the letter without a single moment of hesitation or doubt. "Captain ordered to prepare the smoke bombs!" he shouted to the crew.

-x-

Desperate knocking on the door disturbed Sasori's peace once again and this time, with a growl he pulled out a loaded gun, aiming it at the doors. A second later, Nagato barged in for the second time that day and quickly closed the doors behind himself.

Sasori moaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, lowering the gun. "What is it this time?!"

"Sasori!" Nagato panted, leaning against the doors. "The ship has disappeared!"

Sasori frowned. "The bloody hell do you mean she disappeared?! Where did she go?"

"According to Hidan, Jashin swallowed her-"

"Leave Hidan and his pseudo-sea-goddess out of this!" Sasori growled. "Where did she go?! A tangible construction cannot simply vanish into thin air!"

"That's the best theory we've got-"

Cussing under his breath, Sasori jumped out of his chair and marched towards the doors, Nagato being wise enough to get out of the way. A second later the Captain threw the doors open.

Brown eyes widened at the sight presented to them.

Or rather, the sight _taken_ from them.

Grey mass had enveloped the Akatsuki, its deck barely visible. Everything outside the railings could have as well been hidden three miles beneath the ocean or up high in the clouds. Pirates were running for cover yelling as the mass was closing in on them, soon swallowing everything.

There were screams coming from the prow of the ship.

Sasori took the bandana around his head and tied it to cover the lower half of his face. "_Smoke?!_ You couldn't find an explanation for _smoke?!_" Sasori drew out his sword, staring into the grey in an attempt to discern the figures hidden in it.

"It wasn't this close before!" Nagato shouted over the noise of the pirates, more of it coming from in front of them, although they had seen most of their crew retreat away from it already. He drew out a sword of his own.

Sasori's eyes narrowed and he listened more closely. "That's not just our crew," he realized.

Nagato's eyes widened with bewilderment. "The Shirotori is here."

Sasori gave a nod, narrowed eyes still staring into the smoke.

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!" Nagato shouted to the crew and ran off into the smoke, while Sasori stayed cautiously where he was. Truth was, he could have easily retreated to his compartment, but did not spare a second to even consider it. This could have been exactly what he had been waiting for - something new, something to thrill him, something to _excite_.

A smile crawled onto his face behind the bandana and he bent his knees, preparing himself for an attack. _He was so ready._

The smoke was approaching him. A swift gulf of wind blew it even closer and soon, Sasori found himself surrounded by it.

He sensed an attack coming in from the left and abruptly dodged it, the attacker flying right past him. A second later, a new attack was aimed right at the centre of his torso, which he would not have been able to dodge, so he blocked it, the blades clinking against each other.

The smoke was thick and irritated his eyes. He was not able to fully discern his opponent, only their figure that kept launching attacks at him. The attacks were quick and smooth backed up by great footwork. Sasori would advance at them and he would be forced to back down a few steps right after. Even if the redhead was nowhere near to working his full potential, he found it impressive. It had been a long while since he had found someone capable of taking him on _alone_ and this was really something that caught his interest, which had been MIA for a while. It brought back the thrill and excitement he had used to feel while battling and looting, and that was how he knew he needed to win his opponent over. Not just _win _against them, but get them to join his crew. By force, if necessary.

Because they, _they _were the antidote Sasori had been wishing for, but not daring to hope to find.

If he could only see them, he would be able to carry out this _parley _they had wanted before.

So that was what Sasori did - he started to retreat. His attacker was gaining on him, but little did they know, they were falling right into his trap.

Soon Sasori could feel the handle of the door to his compartment behind him. He made one quick attack on his opponent to have them step back a few steps before lunging the door open and disappearing into the compartment. Not even a second later, the attacker followed and the door was slammed closed right behind them.

Sasori held his sword ready in front of him to defend as he waited for the smoke that had gotten in to clear out, but his attacker seemed to be on a stand-by as well. And the thinner the clouds of smoke got, the lower Sasori's blade sunk as he took in the figure coming into view before him. Locks of gold hiding a damaged eye, hidden behind a hand pointing a cold iron barrel straight at the redhead.

"Hello, Dan-na," the pirate drawled and cocked his head to the side in wonder. "What if I shoot, hm?"

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	16. Chapter 16

_*hot male voice* **Maybe we're just having too much fuuuuuun**_

**_Maybe you can't handle yourself_**

**_Staring at me with your lips and tongue_**

_Idk this chap reminded me of this song. Anyone recognize the song?_

* * *

><p><em>God I haven't slept in ages due to these stupid meds (11 more days to go on them) I'm having a hard time forming sentences.<em>

_So basically. This story used to be really hard to write. Really really difficult, hence the giant intervals between chapters. But now for whatever reason the tables seem to have turned and I've gone on a writing binge, resulting in FOUR new chapters for this story already finished! I swear this is the first time with this story that I actually know MORE than a few hours before you, readers, what's going to happen in the story!_

_I still don't know how many chapters there will be, though. Maybe around 25? A bit less? A bit more? Idk. _

_I also wanted to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed for doing so! I try to reply to as many as possible, but I usually don't have anything to say, so I just don't n.n; That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them, though! They have made me so happy and provide a nice distraction since my favorite person in the world is MIA currently. They've also encouraged me to write faster and plot further for this story!_

_I'm a bit afraid that since there have been so many reviews lately people will grow tired of it and will stop leaving comments... har... in any case, all new reviewers are just as appreciated as the old ones! _

_This A/N prolly turned out much longer than necessary. I'm sorry, I really haven't slept in a long time._

_I should try communicating with my reviewers more, though. You all seem like such awesome people and I feel bad for not knowing what to say. Many prolly don't mind, but uhh... well okay if you're one of those people that enjoy replies to their reviews from the author, just let me know and I shall reply n.n_

_Lemme know if ya recognized the song, aye?_

_Oki, chappie, aye:_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

"Hello, Dan-na," the pirate drawled and cocked his head to the side in wonder. "What if I shoot, hm?" A wicked smile stretched the lips at the words jogging the memories of both males in the room. "Are you gonna threaten to lock me up in a claustrophobic compartment again, or tell me you've tamed me better? Or" - he set his head up straight and motioned towards Sasori's left hip with the gun - "are you gonna take the barker you've hidden there and take aim at your long lost _pet_?"

"Deidara, what are you doing here?" Sasori asked in a calm tone, which belied the grip on the handle of his sword that had tightened. "I sent you back to England to your family."

The blond male's eye narrowed. A lot had changed about him. While he was still rather slim, it was obvious he was not in his teens anymore and was certainly not underfed. His shoulders no longer caved in, in a shy manner, but were fixed square with confidence. His clothes were modest, but well kept - knee length dark pants touching the boots and a long red jacket - the flashiest of his attire - over a linen shirt and a faded sash tied around his hips. A tri-cornered hat covered his head, possessing a single black feather. The look in the blond's eye was not hesitant anymore, but determined. Now there was also spite mixed in with the ocean blue colour.

"Firstly, _Danna_" - Deidara said the title mockingly and with spite - "I've never had a family. My adoptive parents you murdered, the servants I considered friends I was forced to put to death myself, and all that was left then was my older step-sister, who's a moronic snob that probably blows my step-father's brother, whom my adoptive parents _so dearly _loved and who raped me when I was 14."

Most of it Sasori had known, the last part he had been clueless about, but still his expression stayed the same, while the blond in front of him had started to fume.

"_Secondly_, you didn't do bloody _shit._ It was your goddamn lapdogs that escorted me when you couldn't be bothered to even show up or give me an explanation!"

"It was better that way," Sasori spoke firmly. "Seeing me would've only fed you false hopes, but you couldn't stay. There's no way out alive once you're in a crew. You had all your life ahead of you and I couldn't take that away."

Deidara snorted humourlessly. "Couldn't take my life away? Surprise, _bastard_, you bloody did the moment you told me you loved me and then tossed me away like I was no better than garbage. You deserve to die."

"Probably."

"To be tortured in hell for all eternity."

The corner of Sasori's mouth twitched upwards. "I couldn't agree more, Dei." His free hand moved behind his back as he knew what was coming.

"And I've returned just for that." Deidara returned the half smile. "Die."

The following happened very fast. In half of a split-second, Sasori had drawn out a knife hidden in the sash behind his back and thrown it at the hand that was holding the gun pointed at him. Before the trigger could be pulled, the blade flew through the air, merely grazing the hand but cutting deep enough for the blond to let go of the gun and drop it onto the floor.

The next thing they knew, their swords were crossed once again, Sasori's in an attack and Deidara's as a reflex. Sasori's foot swiped across the floor behind the blond to pull at his leg and make him lose balance, but Deidara was faster and jumped up, avoiding the attack.

Sasori used the second he was given to lunge to the right to grab the knife that had landed on the floor and held out the sword in front of him to block the succeeding attack from Deidara. In a quick, strong motion he batted the sword away with his own and let go of the hilt, grabbing a hold of the blond's sword hand to hold it in place while making use of the knife he then had in his other hand and holding the sharp cool metal edge against Deidara's neck.

Sasori advanced with quick steps and Deidara had no other option but to retreat until his back met the wall. The cold metal pressed against his throat harder and a growl left Deidara's mouth as his head hit against the wall.

They were both eye level. Deidara's hand that held a sword was held captive by Sasori's and after the redhead's nails quickly dug into the skin just below the younger man's knuckles, with a yelp the sword fell down onto the floor, Sasori stepping on the blade to secure its place. Another growl sounded from the blond as he glared at the redhead, feeling the knife too close for comfort against his neck. Sasori's smirk was full of triumph, he had Deidara completely trapped with his foot holding Deidara's away from the wall and his knee pressing against the blond's, locking the other's leg and making any escape attempt futile. Even if Deidara had tried anything with his free hand, one single swift buckling of his knee would have allowed Sasori to break his leg and both of them were fully aware of it.

"What if I take you down to hell with me, _Dei_?" Sasori purred, his lips inching closer to the blond's ear.

Deidara felt a shiver run down his spine at the close contact. He snarled, "I've already been in hell ever since I met you."

"Then we might as well stay right here, right?" A low dark chuckle left Sasori's mouth and Deidara felt the pair of lips brush against his cheek, spreading warmth throughout his body before the mouth found his and locked in a heated kiss. It was just like the fight before - the attack was met with full force, neither willing to back down. Their lips were hungrily moving against each other, their tongues coming out to play. The knife against Deidara's neck lowered and Sasori moved it back down to his hip to tuck it away when Deidara's free hand came to meet his and smoothly got the other to let go of the blade.

Their fingers intertwined slowly before Sasori jerked their hands up and pinned Deidara's against the wall. His teeth bit down roughly on the younger male's and he buckled their hips together, moving his leg between the other's. Deidara let out a low moan as Sasori shoved his tongue into his mouth again, exploring the inside and roughly pressing the other's head against the wall so that the tri-cornered hat was pushed into an awkward position on the one side of the blond's head.

The redhead pulled away briefly for a moment of breath, his face still staying so close to the other's that their lips were nearly touching and a thin string of salvia connected their mouths. Their breathings were heavy as they stared each other in the eye, distaste in Deidara's, triumph in Sasori's, but one strong emotion clouding both the brown and the blue - _lust_.

"When we're done, I'm gonna kill you, Sasori," Deidara breathed, his warm breath brushing against Sasori's face.

A knowing smile dawned on the older male's face, his eyes on Deidara's holding a glint of challenge in them. "Don't hold back," Sasori replied, leaving it unspecified whether he was referring to the current or future situation. His lusty eyes slid down to the blond's tasty lips and he pushed in with his leg between Deidara's again, receiving a loud moan, and he dove in to attack the other's mouth again.

Deidara responded with all he got, putting every last bit of the mixed emotions inside of him into the kiss as his one hand on which the redhead's grip had loosened broke free and travelled behind Sasori's back, gripping the light linen shirt beneath which familiar skin covering the all so familiar back muscles resided, making up the strong torso that was holding him captive currently. His hand slid sensually across the clothed back, riding up the shirt and brushing against the skin with the fingertips before his hand reached the gun tucked away in the sash there.

Deidara pulled the pistol out and the same moment he was torn away from the wall by Sasori's strong arms wrapped around him, the gun could be heard hitting the ground and Deidara's hand moved back to exploring the redhead's back.

It was true that he had every intention to kill the captain of the Akatsuki, but not before he had received everything the other had to offer him.

Sasori's hands worked on ridding the blond of the heavy coat he had on and only when it was disposed of onto the ground did he guide the other to the corner of the compartment where a bed stood, which was a lot bigger than the last one they had been in together. He pushed the blond down onto the sheets, the hands holding onto him tightly immediately bringing him down as well together with the other.

Sasori's mouth moved to ravish the other's jawline and neck, his hand sliding beneath the shirt and exploring the blond's stomach and chest, soon pinching and rubbing one of the nipples. Deidara's nails were digging into the redhead's back, his hips buckling up to meet Sasori's.

A low chuckle left the redhead's mouth and he murmured, bringing his face up just inches above the blond's face, "Impatient now are we?"

"Just as impatient as I am to sink a knife into your heart," Deidara replied, hoping to see some kind of effect of his sharp cutting words on the redhead's face, but all he got was a calm look with the same brown eyes full of superiority.

"Can't keep you waiting, now can I?" Sasori said with a voice of softness and calm that failed to add up in Deidara's mind and made him frown. A half second later Sasori's lips found his again to devour them hungrily. His hand moved down to tug down the younger male's pants and after wetting his hand he pushed his fingers in.

Deidara held in the gasp that wanted to escape his mouth and bit down on his lip to suppress it. Moving his fingers, Sasori noticed the tense expression on the younger male's face and he chuckled, which was probably exceeding the amount of chuckling he had done in the past five years. He pecked the corner of the lip of the other and said, "You still look adorable when you're trying to be brave."

Deidara's face reddened with both embarrassment and anger. "Shut your mouth, bastard," he snapped. "I've come a long way since you last saw me _trying_ to be brave."

Sasori's smile was saccharine. "I know," he said and pressed his lips against the blond's, scissoring his fingers inside him.

Deidara kissed back angrily, trying to bury his discomfort under the emotion. A high-pitched whine sounded from inside him and his back arched when Sasori's fingers brushed against one certain spot inside him. Sasori smirked into the kiss, enjoying the upper hand he had just gained, and searched for the same spot again, Deidara's grip on his shirt tightening.

Deeming the other stretched enough, he removed his fingers and tugged down his pants, positioning himself at the other's entrance. In one smooth motion he slid in, Deidara abruptly breaking their kiss, gasping for air. Starting rocking back and forth, Sasori's lips moved downwards, leaving the other panting heavily as he kissed down his jawline and neck.

"_Oh God_," Deidara breathed as the heat began building up between them, filling him with unsatisfiable hunger that he longed to satisfy nevertheless. "Move _faster!"_

A low chuckle sounded in his ear. "Begging now are we?" Sasori breathed into his ear, feeling the nails dig deeper into his back. He chuckled again, nibbling on the other's earlobe. He obliged anyway as the slow pace was not to his own liking either.

"Basta- _ohh_," Deidara's insult turned into a moan as Sasori hit dead on the sweet spot again, continuing doing so at a fast pace. Deidara could feel himself nearing the edge, the heat and pleasure driving out all sense in his mind, making him forget why he had started to say _bastard _in the first place. Sasori's sensual heavy breathing by his ear and tongue running across his neck all did the work of pushing him even closer.

His one hand left Sasori's back to travel down and start pumping himself, but the redhead beat him to it, his hand gripping his member tightly before he could reach it. Deidara arched his back in a sharp motion and moaned out loud the one thing the older male had been waiting to hear since they started, "_Sa-sasori!"_

"_Yes, Dei_?" Sasori whispered, his face a mere inch from the blond's. Lusty brown eyes stared down into a blue orb in which they saw brief confusion flash before their eyelids fell closed and lips connected in a passionate kiss that this time around lacked the mixed hatred from before. Deidara was giving his all, but for the moment distaste was not part of it anymore. His lips moved together with Sasori's and opened up to let the redhead's tongue in without any protest, his will to devour the redhead and receive his everything as great as the other's.

In a couple of more thrusts, the younger male's body tensed all over and back rose from the surface as white liquid spurted from his erect member. Sasori felt himself being pushed over the edge as well by the walls clamping so tight around him and he came right after, his whole body tensing briefly before he relaxed again and with one last sloppy kiss on the blond's lips he pulled out.

Sasori rolled over to the side and plopped down on his back, brushing away the sweaty fringe from his eyes as he waited for his breathing to return to normal. He felt ridiculously aware of Deidara lying right next to him and a part of him - bigger than he wanted it to be - wished for the circumstances to be different. He was not keen on dwelling on the past, much less regretting things he had done. Even now he did not see a better way out of the situation they had been in five years ago. He had believed he was doing the best thing for the both of them and he still believed that. He just wished Deidara would have seen it for what it had been, that the pirate's follower's life he had been living had not been healthy for him and never would have been, that getting out of it had been crucial, even if it had hurt like hell.

Sasori turned his head to the side to look at the blond lying in a quite relaxed position staring up at the ceiling.

"Am I sentenced to death this instant or are you up for another round before killing me?" A note of humour sounded in his voice, although this time his face remained stoic.

Deidara did not answer right away. There was a moment of silence before he spoke, his gaze staying fixed on the ceiling. "Death would not do you justice, Sasori."

An eyebrow rose as the older male waited for elaboration.

"Eternal hell would, but how can I be sure that's where you'd be headed?" Deidara finally turned his head, his gaze meeting Sasori's. There were no strong feelings in the blue orb, only wonder as he mused out loud.

Sasori smiled genuinely at the young blond. "Where else could I go?"

Deidara did not answer, he turned his head back to the ceiling. "About what you said earlier," he began, "I wish I _could _come with you to hell, just to make sure you make it there and receive the suffering you deserve."

Sasori chuckled at the other's troubles, they gave him the amusement he had been looking for, for ages. "Life isn't easy, I agree with you there."

"I know," Deidara replied. "That's why I'm not going to kill you."

Sasori's eyebrows rose for the second time and he gave the blond a questioning look the other did not see. While he had had his doubts on whether or not Deidara would be capable of killing him, he had not expected the other to give up that easily.

"You know, when I came here and attacked you, I had expected you to kill me or at least severely wound me quite fast. After all, I had disturbed your peace and smoked the deck of your precious ship," Deidara told him. "It was a great surprise to have you go easy on me. It made me think that maybe your good ol' pirate's life was not as satisfying as you wished for it to be. Something was amiss, certainly, since you let me live and even went out of your way to lure me here."

Sasori was not surprised by having the blond realize he had gone easy on him; the past five years had certainly been long enough for him to do his research and find out what the redhead was truly capable of. However, what did surprise him was Deidara piecing it all together while being caught in action as much as they had been.

He said nothing, though, not wanting to prove the other either right or wrong. The knowledge Deidara had gained may have been impressive, but what was he planning on doing with it?

"Do you know how much a person reveals during intimate contact?" Deidara asked the other. "Not just physically; a good deal of the person's emotions are laid on the table for all to see, if you just look at them carefully enough. You're glad to have me here, you _want _me here. You're miserable, Sasori."

"You still love me," Sasori bit back. He had not meant to counter in the argument, but the blond's words cut too close for comfort, he needed a diversion.

Deidara's eye narrowed and he shot the redhead a sharp look. "I despise you," he said.

"Didn't say otherwise," Sasori said. "But you still love me. It was obvious enough." Even with his eyes turned away from the blond, he could tell his words were bouncing on a nerve and the other was fuming.

Deidara sat up and glared at the redhead, who seemed relaxed enough to irritate the blond with his one hand tucked beneath his head and the other resting on his stomach. It was enough to give Deidara the urge to snap the older male's neck.

"I _loathe_ you, bastard," he spat. "You took _everything_ and left me with _nothing_."

Sasori's eyes narrowed back at the blond. "Are you sure?" he asked. "It is true that I didn't give you a choice, but I never took anything from you. I got you off the ship, which is about the best thing anyone could've done for you. If you weren't so stuck in your naivety, you'd see that."

"What I see is a bastard locking me up for weeks and then trading me for a ship like I was a bloody goat!"

"What you _don't_ see is the pile of bodies that got tortured and killed while _you_ were kept in safety!" Sasori snapped. Deidara might have grown up in many aspects, but his foolish stubbornness to see life from a different angle had never left him. "What did you expect to get from seducing and fucking a pirate?! Safety is a luxury _no-one _on a ship is able to afford, yet you got it. I'm going to hell for a lot of things, but you are not one of them."

Sasori could see clearly from the blond's face that sense was not reaching him and if anything, his words were angering the other even more for trying to prove him wrong.

"You're obnoxious and disgusting," Deidara said.

"Must be awful still being in love with me."

"Not as awful as living with yourself, I can imagine," Deidara retorted. "That's why I'm not going to kill you. Stewing in your own juice will-"

Unfortunately neither of them found out what stewing in Sasori's juice would do, since Deidara's sentence was cut off by the compartment doors slamming open and a pirate of the Akatsuki barging in. From behind him the two captains could see the smoke having nearly cleared out, but the intruder made sure not to let their attention dwell on that.

"Captain!" the man shouted breathlessly, the lower half of his shirt saturated with blood. "The Royal Navy - three ships saw the smoke - they're att-" The word caught in the pirate's throat with his breath and his eyes widened a split-second before his legs gave away and he fell on his knees, before his whole torso landed on the ground with a thump. There was an enlarging blood stain on his shirt and from behind him, a rifle's barrel glistened, along with the golden buttons on a dark blue navy uniform.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	17. Chapter 17

_I'm the worst girlfriend ever okay and not only that I'm a big giant GEEK and hardly qualify as a female i'm watching frigging anime and working on cosplay and updating fanfiction instead of preparing something hyper super romantic for the frigging second anniversary i'm sorry Nam Pyeon it's past 4 a.m. on sunday and i can't get my brain to think of anything so if you manage to make me something and I don't I'll forever agree on black not being a colour (even though it effing is!)_

_It's great leaving personal messages in the A/N because no-one reads these anyway lol_

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><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

The dead pirate lay on the floor in the doorway of the captain's compartment, a British marine by uniform stepping out from behind him, carrying a threatening rifle pointed at the duo currently tangled in the sheets of the bed on the other end of the room. Sasori and Deidara were both unarmed due to their recent love-hate session of distrust where they had both rid each other of their weaponry, which put them at a significant disadvantage.

The marine stepped over the corpse, too baffled by the scene laid out before him to take instant action. There was tense silence as his eyes shifted back and forth between the two figures that seemed just as dumbfounded as he was currently. Together with his eyes also the metal barrel moved, eventually coming to a stop on the redhead, who for some reason gave off a more threatening aura than the blond, although neither could be seen as trustworthy. There was just something about the redhead that made him look... diabolic.

As the marine cautiously took steps nearer, he noticed the way the redhead's eyes looked at him with that limp, blank gaze that he had seen in the eyes of many veterans - the soulless look that said those orbs had seen too much for anything to surprise them. The thousand-yard stare.

Deidara noticed the marine's attention averting from him and the gun's barrel coming to a stop in Sasori's direction. He took the chance to speak up, "Soldier, I assure you this man will bring you more glory when brought to the king alive."

The marine's cautious eyes swiftly darted back to the blond, taking aim at him instead immediately. "What do you mean? Who are you?" he demanded.

"Iwaga," Deidara spoke in an official tone Sasori had yet to know the blond possessed. Oh, how fast they grew up. "I was sent undercover by his Majesty himself to capture this man. For you see" - Deidara turned to the redhead, undoing the buttons on his shirt with a teasing smirk as he whispered to him, "_Won't you show him, Danna?_", his hand yanking the cloth out of the way, revealing the tattoo that embellished the redhead's chest - "this" - Deidara turned back to the marine - "is the Red Scorpion of the Akatsuki, Akasuna Sasori."

The marine's eyes widened at the tattoo and Deidara was relieved to see the man recognize it; without the knowledge of the meaning behind the sign on his opponent's part, Deidara's plan would have failed.

"Therefore I advise you to tie him up and take him with you to the ship. I can assure you he is unarmed, so you may approach freely," Deidara said, before giving the redhead another teasing smile of his. "Isn't that right, _Danna_?"

His shirt hanging open over his bare chest without the redhead raising a finger to correct it, Sasori gazed at the blond with unfazed eyes, which lacked the triumph and superiority he usually showed the younger male, telling Deidara that he had played well.

That was - until Sasori's eyes narrowed with a smirk crossing his lips, taking Deidara aback and making the blue orb widen with momentary dismay. The moment the marine fixed his aim on the redhead again and took a step towards them, Sasori yanked the blond's left arm and brought his left side forwards.

"Since you seem so educated on pirate signs," Sasori started, his smirk growing with the confusion on Deidara's face; even though his words were addressed at the marine, his gaze did not leave the blond for a moment. In one sharp movement he jerked down Deidara's shirt, the sound of cloth being torn spreading through the air as the Captain of the Shirotori's shoulder was bared, revealing a single kanji beneath the skin. "You might as well recognize this one," Sasori finished, the triumphful look returning to his eyes as Deidara blanched.

"_The Shirotori trademark..._" the marine whispered and Deidara cursed under his breath.

"_How did you know?_" he hissed to Sasori, anger taking reign over his other emotions.

"Since you were wearing your Daddy's hat, I figured you might have as well inherited this."

"You don't need to sound so jealous. I could call you Daddy, too," Deidara bit back.

"Silence! You're both going to burn in hell!" the marine shouted, shifting the rifle between the two figures again nervously, apparently unnerved by the unusual situation he was facing.

"Oh, God, we're dealing with a homophobe," Deidara muttered as he turned his face to the marine and slowly raised his arms.

"Told you I'm taking you with me," Sasori chuckled as he followed suit, his arms rising and folding behind his head. "I tried getting you out, but it won't work for a second time. Now you're stuck with me."

"Oh, please stop trying to make it sound like some heroic act," Deidara groaned. "You did it for your own selfish reasons. It was sole-"

"_SILENCE!_" the marine shouted. "Whatever issues you have, you can solve them behind bars! You'll be dead soon enough for none of it to matter!"

"Danna, maybe you should loosen his ass a bit, too. He seems tense."

"I'd rather tank him and go for a second round on you."

"I'd prefer taking him up on his offer to send me to hell, honestly."

"Fucking you in hell works for me, too."

Deidara groaned and said to the marine, "I changed my mind, please shoot him, good sir. I'm all right with stabbing myself in the heart, maybe they have separate pits for suicide in hell."

The unnerved marine looked like he was suffering from a whiplash. "Y-you said getting him to the king alive would give me glory!"

"He's useless," Deidara muttered with a sigh.

"Hn," Sasori agreed. "But he has a loaded gun."

"Which isn't enough for the two of us."

"True."

"I'm going."

"Go."

"Wait a minute!" the marine shouted. "No-one's going any-" He snapped the gun towards Deidara the second he sensed movement and watched the blond roll himself off the bed with a _thump _and fast onwards on the floor. Reflexively he reacted and his finger clicked the trigger before his mind could register it, but Deidara's fast horizontal movement making it nearly impossible to hit him. A split-second later there was a dagger sticking into his heart sent there through the air by the Sasori.

The rifle fell onto the floor noisily, followed by the marine's lifeless body.

"Did you get him?" Deidara asked, lifting his head and sitting up with his entire body once his eye had registered the second dead body lying on the floor. An amused smile spread across his face and he grinned at the redhead. "Out of the three parties involved in this fight, mine is the only one with zero death toll in this room. Who's the better Captain, hm, Danna?"

A subtle smile made its way to Sasori's face with a soft look as he gazed at the blond. He had already forgotten the relaxing effect the brat's easy-going attitude could have on him.

"For all you know, your entire crew could be lying in blood puddles on my deck," Sasori noted.

Deidara sighed dramatically. "Good killers are so hard to come across these days. It might mean another trip to Barbados, I've heard they've some great throat-slitters there." As Deidara spoke, he also stood up and went about the room gathering his things. He fixed the sash around his hips and tucked his knife, pistol and sword back in. Done with that, he scanned the place to see whether he had missed anything and shrugged into his jacket, putting the hat back on.

Starting towards the doors, he told the redhead, "I shall take my leave then. Do put the time I gave you into good use and suffer." A wicked smile was cast in the other pirate's direction over his shoulder and below the hat and golden fringe.

Sasori smiled back. "Don't think you won't see me again. I swear you'd be doing yourself a great favour by stabbing me right now."

"I disagree with you, Danna," Deidara said and left the room, stepping out onto the deck and pulling out his sword. Dark clouds gathered above them were pouring heavy rain onto the seamen, leaving no trace of smoke behind. Deidara smiled as he gazed at the battle in front of him, taking place on wet wooden deck and dozens of corpses, whose blood was mixing with the rain. It was a mass of dark brown and grey with no pretty faces on one half and stained uniforms of blue and white on the other. Red stained white much prettier than it did the pirates' uniforms on which it faded into the dirty shade.

The wind tore at everyone's clothes and guided the rain in all directions, blowing a good deal of it into Deidara's face. The wind would have been cold on the wet skin, had there not been adrenaline running through his veins as he took in the chaotic beauty laid in front of him.

The ship shook as one of the British ships fired at it, but Deidara kept his balance with his knees bent and feet set apart. His right hand drew out his sword while the other dove into his pocket and dug out something of grey colour that he tossed among the corpses and battling feet.

Sasori would have a lot of cleaning up to do.

Or would he?

Wind tore at his long hair and coat, flapping them and letting them rest only for a brief moment on Deidara's back before tearing them up again. Deidara fixed his sword on his side and the other symmetrically for balance before diving into the battle, and cutting open every body on his way. Twirling he moved like a murderous storm, bringing death everywhere he stepped. The wind held his hair and jacket in the air as he swirled gracefully, tearing through the throng.

Brown eyes were watching the flashes of gold and red that cut across the deck and left a trail of bodies behind. A subtle smile made its way to the figure's face. "You've really grown up, brat," he muttered. "I promise you our paths shall cross again soon."

He monitored as Deidara reached the bulwark and paused momentarily, before jumping onto the bulwark and in the blink of an eye lunging into the depths of the ocean. The man's startled figure took a reflexive step forward as though to catch the other, but sense stopped him, telling him what was obvious that he was far too late.

Into the massive blue dark water reached a rope ladder that Deidara caught a hold of. The sea was rough and the waves were doing their best to pull him back under, but Deidara had grown in more ways than just mentally - his strong arms held onto the ladder even as he had to hold his breath and endure another cold wave wash over him. The temperature hurt his skin and it was painful moving his fingers and limbs, but up the ladder above the water he pulled himself and kept climbing until he reached the lowest window he crawled through.

He landed - or rather fell onto the wooden floor inside and even though his entire body was aching as though there was ice running in his blood vessels, he felt great knowing he had once again made it. It was one of the most reckless methods anyone could have thought of, but it was the one that had taken him into Sasori's life.

And, for mostly sentimental but also theatrical purposes, it was the one he had wanted to use to get out of his life.

Heaving his heavy body off the floor Deidara got back up onto his feet. Without thinking about it, his hands ran along his dripping wet sash to check whether everything was still in place and he reminded himself he would have to dry off his gun. He untied his hat from the sash and shook it for all it was worth to get some of the water out of it before putting it back on. It felt a lot heavier than it had before.

He walked out of the room and into the hallway. Sensing rather than hearing someone behind him, he whipped out his sword and pointed it at the figure who, as it seemed, had not been as fast as him.

"State your name and affinity," Deidara demanded, holding the blade against the figure's chest. It was too dim for him to properly recognize the other as an ally or enemy.

"Kei, Shirotori, Capt'n Deidara."

The name rang a bell, but Deidara would not trust before he could properly see the man's face. "Lead the way to the deck," he ordered.

Without hesitation the man passed him and at a quick pace strode down the hallway and up the stairs to the deck. The first rays of light on his face were enough for Deidara to recognize him as one of his own.

"Sailor, get everyone you can under five minutes back to the ship and prepare for departure."

The man ran off to carry out the orders and Deidara smiled to himself, knowing he had done a good job at intimidating the crew enough for every one of his orders to be followed to the letter. It could certainly said that the things he had picked up under Madara and Sasori's leadership he had made sure to put into use.

_One... two... three..._ Deidara started counting in his head as he leisurely paced towards the poop deck and up the stairs. After all, he deserved the best seat in the house. He saw men returning to the deck and hustling about, preparing to sail away.

Reaching the top, his eye wandered back to the Akatsuki. A pang of an unpleasant emotion he did not wish to determine the name of struck the pit of his stomach when his gaze fell on the doors to the captain compartment, which he had left not so long ago.

Wanting to rid himself of the feeling quickly, he shook his head and forced a smile onto his face, starting to count out loud: _two hundred ninety-seven... two hundred ninety-eight..._

_Ninety-nine..._

"Bye-bye, Danna," he whispered as the wind blew strands of the blond hair to cover the flash of sorrow in the blue orb. "_Katsu._"

For a moment a thunderous roar enveloped everything and then there were only flames, eating on the wreck of a ship floating on the dancing waves, two opposing elements united by one common prey they did away with at their own pace as another ship possessing a black flag sailed away.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	18. Chapter 18

_First week of school has finished and I'm exhausted to the point of feeling dead._

_This chapter forced me to research the history of Singapore and its red-light districts (which was interesting) with very bad reception on my mobile (which sucked). ALL THE THINGS I DO FOR YAOI I SWEAR. At least I learnt to properly spell Singapore in English. Before this chap I was always like - is it singapour? Spell-check, you say no? Singapoure then? Still red line? Singapur like in estonian? Still no? uhhh..._

_I'd really like to visit Singapore one day though._

FORGOT to mention in the last chapter: Deidara's tattoo is the kanji for "bird" as Shirotori translates to "white bird". Thank you, AkioKuro, for bringing that to my attention.

_Sooo yeh. Reviews are appreciated as always and I hope you like it, aye:_

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><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

The explosion was fleeting; it was beauty wrapped in one brief moment that burned itself into Deidara's memory for the rest of his life. Never before had he seen anything like it; the destruction he had caused, it was more than an outsider could have understood by witnessing it. Along with the Akatsuki - the ship that had reigned over most seas of the world and been feared even away from the oceans - Deidara had put an end to everything in his past, everything he had grieved over, the essence of every emotion he had felt in the past five years - sorrow, hatred, bitter love.

He was free now, there was nothing keeping him down anymore. He could start a path of his own, there was nothing left to stop him.

At least that was what he told himself.

The journey to Singapore seemed to stretch infinitely, Deidara found himself staring blankly at the ocean as the remaining members of his crew worked to keep the ship going and clean. Less people meant more work, but fortunately the weather remained favourable throughout the two weeks, making it easier for the sailors. Singapore as their destination was not a bad motivator, either. The two months they had spent on sea had been enough to provide them with plenty of valuables to pay off some serious fun time.

In addition Deidara had promised the crew a full two week holiday while he rounded up substitutes for lost members. Even though personally he would have preferred to go crew hunting somewhere on the Caribbean, crossing that distance with so few men on board was a risk he was not willing to take. It was not as though Singapore was a bad place to look for culprit sailors, quite on the contrary. There might not have been a better place, save for the bottom of the ocean. Going to the Caribbean was just Deidara's current caprice, which he was determined to fulfil after stocking up.

Leading the crew on whims as such was probably what had earned him the title of a brat when he had been younger. He really had been an impulsive kid driven by hormones. Fulfilling every wish of a person and getting nearly torn in half in the process just to earn their affections. Perhaps it was a good thing he had not been given a say in the matters of his future. Not that he would have ever admitted that Sasori had done the right thing, he could have at least explained to him then not simply turned his back on him; but life on that ship had not been healthy for Deidara and probably would have never been, even with Sasori in charge. There had been too many men out for his neck and his priorities that put Sasori always before himself would not have provided him with the means of properly protecting himself.

Maybe it really had been a good thing for him to get away.

He had needed to grow up from the brat he had been back then. Maybe the one he still was deep inside, he did not know.

Maybe Sasori really had done the right thing. Not the best in general, but taking into consideration the redhead's lack of knowledge on human beings on the whole, it may as well have been the best of Sasori's abilities.

That was where Deidara's train of thought on most days, save for the ones he spent cursing the redhead and damning him to even deeper bits of hell than he already was in, would end up. The last stop of the train would always be the following: _None of it mattered anymore_.

By blowing up the Akatsuki Deidara had left it all behind, so it did not matter anymore who had been right and who wrong. What mattered was that he was alive while Sasori was not, which meant that he needed to move on.

But to where? Where exactly was he supposed to move on to next?

The Caribbean, perhaps?

But even that place with all its sea and exotica lost its appeal to Deidara once his train of thought had reached its last stop. He was completely void of motivation to do anything, so he just kept staring at the sea day after day until they finally reached the harbour.

Dressed up as common sailors, the men left the ship, Deidara paying the tax for keeping the ship anchored at the harbour. From that point they departed. A few of his co-sailors might have been taking the same road as the blond, but he kept his solitude by hiding his face under the hat and neck of the coat, shoving hands into pockets and melting into the hustling crowd of the great trading centre as someone no-one wanted to interact with.

Deidara knew where he was going, he had been to Singapore many times in the past with his crew. Though far away from the Mediterranean and Caribbean, they had spent a fair share of their time cutting off the roads of cargo ships in the Indian Ocean, if for nothing else, then to help spread fear and leave a ubiquitous impression that so well helped the first cause.

Walking in the busy town with horse carriages and people passing by in all directions, Deidara felt unusually worn out. He decided to stop by at a tavern on his way to rest and relax a bit. He ordered some beer and settled in by a corner table in the room. With his face still mostly hidden and back against the wall, he remained almost invisible while everyone else in the tavern was in clear sight for him.

It was not quiet enough for him to actually relax and he had not expected it to be. In the poorly lit room with tables scattered about in no particular pattern there were plenty of other sailors like him, a few he might have considered suitable candidates and many he dismissed as useless. Regardless of who he saw he had no intentions of confronting any of them. For one, he was too tired, and secondly, he deemed it wise to catch up on the local news and gossip before starting to recruit people.

All of it could wait, however. For the moment he just wanted to enjoy his drink and finish it up in peace before finding a hotel with a room for him. After months spent on sea, a comfortable bed on a permanently steady floor sounded rather appealing to him.

Deidara sank back in his seat and lifted the bottle to his lips.

It was when that one word slipped from the mouth of a man sitting nearby him that his whole body tensed and one particular conversation popped out of the general noise in the tavern.

"-_the Akatsuki_, ye say?"

"_Aye!_ Gone they are now the fish they whisper."

"Only gullible swine can believe such rubbish. From hell they came and back there they won't be going before Satan himself climbs up the stairs to Earth to summon them there."

"Once they disappeared already-"

"-and back just as fast they returned. They say they be cursed, unable to die. Stuck in a cycle they be. As soon as they die they rise up again, that's why no soul can go against them."

"And yer be accusing me of speaking rubbish? That lore of yours ain't no more than an old hag's rant."

"Oi, but that they indeed say! Their captain, they say, the Red Scorpion is a demon ascended from hell with a tattoo on his chest and his crew the spawns of all evil and darkness on Earth. Say they also that not a single ship nor soul that has suffered the misfortune of crossing paths with them has gotten out alive!"

"Yer be joking!"

By then it had become too much for the Captain of the Shirotori and he burst out laughing. The two men holding the conversation took notice of it and quieted, turning to the blond with offended looks.

"Something funny to yer, boy?"

Deidara glanced up from beneath his hat at the men and shook his head with a chuckle. "Do not mind me, gentlemen. I'm not even here."

"Yer be very here, boy, and yer be mocking us!"

"You know something, don't you?" the other man interrupted, curiosity widening his eyes and dismissing the mocking interruption to their conversation.

"I don't say I do, not more than the next sailor," Deidara said, sipping his drink. "But I do see a fault in your logic. If the Akatsuki has left no-one alive, who told the tales?"

The eyes of the less aggressive non-believer widened as if realization had struck him while the other's narrowed and he slammed a fist against the table so hard the glasses on it shook.

"It be the tormented souls of the murdered!"

Deidara shrugged his shoulders. "If you believe in such things."

"Yer arrogance is so great one might claim yer have witnessed the Red Scorpion yerself!"

A dark look flashed in the visible orb that not both of the men caught before Deidara's smile turned charming and he dismissed the comment. "Not at all, gentlemen, don't think so highly of me. As I said, I'm not even here." He finished his drink and set the empty bottle down, giving a slight nod at the duo. "Have a good day." Deidara left the tavern and stepped out onto the street, briefly glancing right and left before choosing a direction.

After the overheard conversation Deidara's senses stayed ridiculously aware of his surroundings and mind irritated. After all the work he had done, there were still people who doubted the results and spread preposterous stories about _that bastard _being some invincible demon. Oh, please, what else! The man was nothing but an abomination. Deidara had witnessed him bleed as much as the next person when a bullet was put through his shoulder and without his younger naive self the so called _demon _would have very well met his end.

For this Deidara caught himself briefly wishing he really had shot the redhead and brought his corpse along as proof.

Only he was not sure whether he would have been able to do it. He had felt that same old pinching feeling, the one he told himself had ceased to exist, in the redhead's presence that had stopped him from pulling the trigger. It had been mere luck that the bastard had thought him dangerous enough to disarm him before it became obvious that he was not going to shoot.

That was why he had blown up the ship.

Deidara could not let the redhead live, knowing he would keep seeing him everywhere he went, even when the other was not actually there. He was better off knowing the redhead was somewhere at the bottom of the ocean and never coming back, even if it caused him grief. That way he could hate the memory of him and live with whatever regrets that might arise, at least knowing for certain that he would never again fall into the redhead's traps.

He would be free then. There would remain emotional scars making sure he never forgot that the past was real, but fear of the future would no longer bound him. Deidara needed that.

The blond captain was reaching the town square by which he knew a hotel providing good service to stand. He could see the sign over the crowd of people and set his course in that direction when loud yelling caught his attention and he turned his head to see what all the commotion was about.

An elderly man with a greying beard and rags of clothes on had a sign in his hands that he was holding above his head. For a moment he quieted and Deidara saw him converse with a man in uniform. The man was standing facing away from the blond so Deidara could not see exactly was written on the board. He would not have bothered with it and proceeded towards the hotel as the matter seemed like nothing spectacular. The elderly man was still talking with the policeman and there seemed to be an argument before the officer started trying to take the sign away from the man and take him away for causing a commotion.

It was then that the elder started yelling even louder and Deidara could finally make out what he was saying.

Although he wished he did not.

"DO NOT LET THEM FOOL YOU! ONLY THE LORD CAN PROTECT YOU! _THE AKATSUKI IS ALIVE! DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! _PRAY! PRAY, ALL YE MORTALS! PRAY AND HE SHALL PROTECT-"

Fuming, Deidara was gritting his teeth as he had reached the stairs to the hotel and could see the man clearer from above the crowd. He did not think long, anger was boiling inside of him and he just wanted to stop hearing that goddamn name! Hand quick and steady, gun taking aim, there was a shot and the man fell down before the policeman's feet with blood dampening his clothes.

Screaming. Panic. Lots of it.

But Deidara did not stick around to witness it. He hid his gun and whipped around in a flash before anyone could spot him and entered the hotel, walking up to the clerk to ask for a room. He was still fuming as he walked up the stairs to his room and locked himself up in it. He tossed the keys onto the table and rid himself of his coat and hat.

Knowing he could not fall asleep with such irritation despite his exhaustion he sat down behind the table and set his two handguns before him, starting to polish them and reload the one he had just shot from. It was a calming action and soon his heartbeat began slowing down.

Even after cooling his head, Deidara never thought twice about taking the old man's life back on the street. It had been merely an impulse and certainly not necessary, but the blond did not waste his time on regret. He rarely ever felt it anymore for shedding blood. He did not see the man's life as worthless, but it certainly had not been more valuable than any other. And with so many people dying every day anyway, the amount he killed made a very small difference.

Besides, what had been done could never be undone, so was there any point in regret after all?

Maybe he had picked up a thing too much from Madara and Sasori, but Deidara never considered it for the sake of his own peace of mind.

He finished loading his gun and set them on the night stand beside his bed. He walked to the windows to draw the curtains and shield himself from the rays of sun shining in before plopping down on the bed and burying his face in the pillow.

He was out in a matter of minutes.

In the evening Deidara left the guest house, promising the clerk to be back, and took a walk down varying streets until he found the side street with the statue of a Merlion he had been looking for. He went down the street and entered a tavern with dim oil lamps lighting the entrance. The place was packed and noisy as expected, Deidara having to be careful to not get in the way of any unbalanced sailor that had had too much to drink.

Eye on the lookout for a certain figure, the blond manoeuvred through the throng, occasionally brushing against some but making nothing of it as he made his way further into the tavern. The air was rather humid and thick with smoke, but it was an atmosphere Deidara had grown used to. A drunk bumped into him, nearly tripping and spilling his drink. Deidara caught the heavy guy and helped him back to his feet, giving the other a pat on the back before proceeding onwards.

He knew the person had to be there, most likely somewhere in solitude, but it was difficult spotting a place that did not have people swarming over it. It was after multiple collisions and "ey, ye lost matey?"-s that Deidara finally spotted them sitting at a table alone, shielded from the view by the back of a colossally large man.

Deidara ordered two drinks and walked over to them, placing one of the cups before the figure and taking a seat across from them.

"Hello, Konan," Deidara greeted and looked over the woman. From behind anyone would have taken her for a man, but the face that was hidden under a bandana and hat left no doubt about her true gender. With the coat hanging open one could see a well-shaped chest hanging over a faded corset that covered the white linen shirt. It was wise not to stare though as those who did were known to leave her presence blind. There was no skirt covering her legs, only baggy pants tucked into leather boots that gave away her being no ordinary female.

A gloved hand possessing a white ring on the middle finger accepted the drink and amber eyes looked up from the table to take in the blond.

"Long time no see, Captain," Konan said, sipping the drink.

"Busy times."

"So I've heard. What brings you here?"

Deidara glanced around himself to check whether there was anyone eavesdropping on them. "Crew," he said. "I need men."

"I see," Konan muttered, the look in her eyes somewhat distant and solemn.

"Of course, if you ever got the wish to return, you know you're always welcome-"

"Captain," Konan cut him off and Deidara knew there was no use in persuading her, "I've found my place and it's away from the waters."

"If you insist."

"How's your crew now?"

"Larging it in Geylang, I reckon. About seven of them."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "That's the lowest you've been in a while. Where'd the rest go?"

"Into flames and down the trench along with the lot of Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" Konan echoed with subtle disbelief.

"Every last bastard on that damned ship." Deidara took a sip of his drink to drown the bitter feeling that had risen to his throat.

Konan took the information in, in silence. "Peculiar," she finally muttered, mirroring the blond's actions.

Then it was Deidara's turn to arch an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Not long ago, a man with a scorpion's tattoo came here with a similar request to yours."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	19. Chapter 19

_**SAIL AWAY BY THE RASMUS IS THE OFFICIAL THEME SONG OF PIRATES OF THE AKATSUKI OKAY COZ THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY IS A DRAMATIC BITCH**_

_Sail away, it's time to leave_

_Rainy days are yours to keep_

_Fade away, the twilight's calling my name_

_You will stay, I'll sail away _

_/ anywho that was nice and happy, but you're prolly wondering what happened after the cliffhanger so ye:_

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><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

"The Akatsuki?" Konan echoed with subtle disbelief.

"Every last bastard on that damned ship." Deidara took a sip of his drink to drown the bitter feeling that had risen to his throat.

Konan took the information in, in silence. "Peculiar," she finally muttered, mirroring the blond's actions.

"How so?"

"Not long ago, a man with a scorpion's tattoo came here with a similar request to yours."

Deidara nearly choked on his drink and had a coughing fit, putting the cup back on the table. He looked at the woman with fierce eyes that were ready to kill should she have been making jokes on the topic while still partly hoping that she was.

Unfortunately, Konan never joked.

"_Sasori was here?"_

"Is that the name of the serious-looking redhead with the kanji for scorpion inked onto his chest?"

Deidara paled as his heart sank a couple of meters. "Yes."

"That was him," Konan confirmed. "Looking rather alive, if you ask me."

"How's it possible-?" Deidara asked no-one particular while staring down at his own shaking hands. "I watched the ship burn with my own eyes!"

"Hmm," Konan said, looking more bored than anything, propping her elbow on the table and cupping her cheek. Despite the lack of interest she expressed, she still made an effort to assist the blond. "Did you see _him _burn?"

Deidara looked at the woman. There was shock in his eye and dismay that he had not felt in ages. He had thought those to be the emotions of immaturity, something he had left long behind. He had not thought there was anything left that could surprise him. Yet, there he was, staring at the other like a helpless child who had lost his parent, feeling at complete loss.

"N-no," the Captain of Shirotori muttered, feeling for the first time in half a decade like his old self again - hesitating, uncertain. "But I left him there. He had to be there."

"If you didn't watch him die, you might have as well done nothing."

"B-but I couldn't-" Deidara cut himself off and looked away from the woman's gaze, shielding his eye. He did not want to reveal the true reasons behind him choosing to attack from a distance. He did not want Konan to know that he was incapable of murdering someone, that such a weakness in him existed. "I mean, I was certain that it would be sufficient. He had nowhere to go."

Konan sighed. "It is at times like this that your inexperience shows the most. Really, you're still a kid."

Deidara did not have it in him at that moment to threaten the woman for her unbecoming choice of words. He was too shaken up, too out of it. The best he could muster for the time being was hiding behind the brim of his hat to not show the terror on his face. He had been so sure, he could have bet his head on the fact that the redhead was dead. Not only him, but his entire past - it was all supposed to be gone, done away with. But now... now...

"I suppose you'd better watch out now," Konan mused casually, not letting the blond's shock bother her. "I reckon he's rather mad at the one that torched his boat. Your Daddy would have been. Men of the sea - those pretty boats are like wives to them, aren't they? Even when speaking they refer to them as female. It would probably be wise for you to leave town. To have the Red Scorpion's wrath upon you - man, it's a miracle you're not dead already, but-"

"I need to find him," Deidara muttered.

Konan blinked at him with mild surprise before shrugging and finishing her drink. "Or you could do that, Captain. Your Daddy never was one to run and hide either, and look how he died - illness from old age. No bullet or blade or rope around his neck. Maybe you've the same kind of foolish luck running in your veins."

"Do you know where he was headed, Konan?" Deidara demanded, ignoring her comments. His head was beginning to clear, the shock slowly starting to fade. As the captain of a ship, he could not afford to lose his head like a brat anymore. And Konan was right - without seeing, anything could have happened. So he needed to find the man who had contacted Konan himself and make clear whether Sasori really had survived or if it was only an imposter.

"I gave him the same advice as I would have given you, if we had managed to stay on topic for longer - in the tavern Golden Dove behind the old gallows not far from here is a clerk who is much more knowledgeable on the matter than I am. For a pouch of guineas he'll point out the best men in town for you. Make sure to give him more than Sasori did, though - otherwise you'll get some weak louts who haven't held a barker once in their life."

Deidara nodded and stood up. "Thank you, Konan."

"Aye aye, Captain."

"I promised the crew we'd stay for two weeks - if you happen to change your mind about coming back, I'm staying at a guest house near the town square."

Konan waved him off. "I've made my choice, I do not plan on changing it."

"As you wish," Deidara said, then added, "One more thing, Konan."

"Aye?"

"Do not compare me to my Father ever again."

-x-

The name Golden Dove was a rather deceiving one for a tavern with an uneven roof covered in moss, oblique wooden walls and a sign that was hanging only by one corner by the door that looked it would fall over when touched. The smell of mould and seaweed was strong already outside. Had Deidara not had business there, he would have never considered entering; this looked too low class even for a pirate like him.

Currently, however, the young Captain did not really mind the unpleasant outlook, he hardly noticed it due to the queasy feeling of anxiety growing inside his stomach. There was only one question weighing on his mind: was Sasori in that tavern or not? With a deep breath to calm himself he pushed the door open and stepped in.

Inside Deidara was in for a surprise - the tavern was not half as bad as it had seemed from the outside. He guessed the outlook was a disguise to ward off people who had no business there, meaning he was in the right place. The place was only half full and rather quiet, Deidara noticed everyone glance at least once at him when he entered. Instinctively he tugged the brim of his hat lower in front of his face and walked over to the clerk who was currently washing a cup with a mop.

"Excuse me," Deidara said in a quiet tone as he reached the bar. He pulled his hand out from his pocket and placed it on the counter, revealing 5 golden guineas from beneath his palm. "Has a man about my height with scarlet red hair passed through here today? He might have had a special request for you."

The clerk looked up from his cup first at Deidara, giving him a measuring look, then at the coins. Setting the cup down, he slid the coins off the counter with one smooth movement onto his palm and pocketed them. He then picked up his cup again and continued cleaning it, uttering one single word, "Yes."

"When?"

"About two hours ago, give or take."

"Do you know where I could find him?"

The clerk looked at Deidara, not saying a word. They held eye contact for a couple of moments before the blond stuck his hand into his pocket again and produced three more coins onto the counter. The clerk took them silently.

"Should be back tonight."

_Great, _Deidara thought with sarcasm, _now I get to wait here like a moron and nervous wreck for what might be hours._

"Two bottles of your finest wine, please."

"Coming right up," the clerk said and finally put away the cup, walking through the door behind the counters to the cellar to fetch the bottles. Deidara turned around and walked with his sword clicking against his shoes to an empty table by the wall and sat down. He opened up his coat a bit as it was rather warm there but kept the hat on, knowing his distinctive hairdo would be more noticeable with the hat off.

The clerk returned shortly with the two requested unopened bottles and a glass, setting them down on the table before the blond. Deidara paid the man and the other walked off, leaving the young Captain alone. The latter opened the first bottle and poured one third of its contents into the given glass, propping his head up on his hands and taking a big sip of the beverage.

It was going to be a long night.

By the time he was reaching the bottom of the first bottle, there had only been three new guests, none of them even close to fitting the description of Sasori. Deidara was bored out of his mind. It was about then that a man from another table walked over to him and spoke, "That's some fine wine you've got there, boy," motioning towards the still unopened bottle Deidara had ordered.

"I'm older than I look," Deidara said, which was not exactly true. However with his current status and accomplishments he considered himself worthy of the respect people older than him received. "I'd rather not have you apply that nickname to me."

The man smirked. "I apologize," he said in a neutral tone of voice. "I was just wondering whether you'd like to play some cards with me for that bottle. You appear bored, if you don't mind me saying so."

Deidara looked the man up from behind the brim and found a dark-haired man around the age of forty with a trimmed beard standing by the table, looking down at him. He did not seem like a common sailor with his decent clothing, but Deidara wondered whether anyone in this tavern could be considered "common".

"What do you offer?" Deidara asked the man.

"I can bet an equal amount of money to the value of this wine."

Deidara considered it. An occupation to kill time was tempting, but he had never practiced much cards. Then again, they did say unlucky in love, lucky at cards and his experiences with love were as far as one could get from lucky.

"I accept," Deidara said, "but I'm afraid you'll have to introduce the rules to me. I haven't had much practice."

"Not a problem," the man said and sat down across from the blond. He produced a deck of cards onto the table and started shuffling them for both to see while going over the rules for the young Captain. Deidara listened carefully and had asked a few related questions once the man was done explaining, which were answered quickly. Then they were ready to play.

The man won the first round, which was not much of a surprise. It did not dismay the blond. However, the man appeared to be a generous one and said the first round had been practice and the next one would be for bets. Deidara agreed. The next round, he won and the man produced the amount of money they had agreed on onto the table.

Seeing as there was still no sight of Sasori or anyone resembling him despite the few arriving and leaving guests, Deidara suggested that they keep playing. The man was eager to agree.

Deidara lost count of the rounds they played. Once he had lost twice, he too bet money and lost it, but soon won everything back. Then he lost, and afterwards won again. It all repeated itself, but it was certainly better than sitting and waiting by himself.

It was at the highest point of wins when Deidara had won everything bet in the game that another stranger came up to the duo, requesting a chance to play with the blond. Deidara looked up and saw a rather suspicious looking man with most of his face hidden staring at the two of them.

Deidara looked over to his current gaming partner and saw the man nod and release the seat for the newcomer.

"I should get going either way," he said. "It looks like the one I was waiting for will not be showing up tonight." He bid Deidara and the stranger goodbye and left the tavern. Deidara's eyes followed him until the door shut behind him before turning to the new perfect stranger as the latter took a seat.

"What would you like to gamble?" the man asked in a low and rough voice, as though he was suffering from a cold.

Deidara's eyes were cold as he looked at the stranger's hidden face.

"You think I don't recognize you, Danna?" he asked the man.

The stranger lifted the brim of his hat, revealing a pair of familiarly threatening brown eyes.

"I must ask, what gave me away so greatly even after you believed to have left me for dead?" Sasori asked in his normal voice.

"No-one else can put that much venom into a six-word sentence," Deidara answered. "And Konan told me you were recruiting. I only came here to see whether that was true."

"I reckon you have your answer."

"Shall we take this outside?"

"After you."

Deidara gathered the money from the table and gave the bottle to the clerk, saying he would be back for it later. The duo left through the backdoor, which led into a small circular courtyard with one single tree behind the tavern and three taller buildings.

The moment Deidara heard the door close behind the redhead and he was five steps away, he swung around, whipping out his sword and swinging it at Sasori who blocked it skilfully and immediately fought back, making the blond retreat a few steps.

"You were supposed to be dead!" Deidara snarled poisonously as he advanced on the redhead in the competitive dance of theirs.

"You burned my ship, brat," Sasori retorted with just as much venom and made the blond step back again.

Deidara let out mocking laughter. In the next following seconds the redhead was forced to retreat again. Unexpectedly, his sword was swatted away and Deidara took three swift steps back, putting more distance between them before tossing his own sword to the side and opening his arms up wide.

"Kill me then!" he challenged with a bitter smile on his face. "Kill me for burning the bloody boat that was so precious to you! Shouldn't be a problem - after all you've already traded me for her once."

Sasori had come to a standstill with his sword still sticking forwards. He watched the blond step closer to him so that the sharp tip of the blade touched the younger male's clothed chest. Arms still spread out, Deidara repeated, "Kill me! KILL ME!" he yelled.

Sasori pulled back his sword as though he was preparing to strike, then moved it out of the way and pushed with the arm below the elbow against the blond's chest so hard it knocked the breath out of the latter and he staggered back a couple of steps until he was pinned against the tree behind his back.

Sasori's face was unreadable. His eyes bored into the blue orb for an unmeasured period of time before his arm lowered and he supported himself against the tree with the other hand behind the blond's head. He shook his head when a quiet chuckle left his mouth.

"Do you know just how ridiculous you are, Deidara?" Sasori asked the young Captain, looking him in the eye once more. "I am the fear of every ship sailing on any of the seven seas, no-one even dares to beg me for their life. I have slaughtered so many everyone from high up on the throne to those sleeping in the ditch knows the _Red Scorpion_. And yet here's you, stepping on every single nerve of mine with both feet without _any_ worry for the consequences. Do you know just how ridiculous that is?"

Sasori laughed quietly as Deidara stared at him and watched him drop his sword at their feet and glance up at the darkening sky.

"The most ridiculous part is," Sasori continued musing, his finger touching against the younger male's neck and sliding down to his chest, undoing the first button on his shirt; Sasori leaned closer until his lips were nearly touching the blond's ear and his warm breath brushing against the other's skin making the hairs on Deidara's back prickle, "that I can't even threaten to kill you," Sasori all but whispered, "because you know I won't do it no matter what you do."

Sasori's lips brushed softly against the ear and down the jawline to the neck.

Deidara tugged out the pistol he had in his sash and pressed the muzzle against the redhead's side. Sasori tensed at the touch and his lips slowly left Deidara's neck as he raised his head to meet the other's gaze wordlessly.

With his finger on the trigger and eye locked with the redhead's burning gaze, Deidara tried steadying his hand to stop it from shaking and gathering enough strength in his finger to click it. Overwhelming cold settled in, in his stomach as he looked at the dark brown eyes staring right at him only inches away and felt the weight of the gun in his hand pressing against the redhead.

He tried to pull the trigger, but he could not.

With a bitter smile his arm relaxed and dropped loose, before he raised it, never taking his eye off Sasori's, and pointed the gun up at the sky.

"Just like you know I will never kill you well enough to put you to death," Deidara said and pulled the trigger, a single bullet shooting up into the sky. A croak responded to the sound of the shot as a crow sitting on the roof was frightened and flew away. Deidara's hand dropped and the gun hung on the loose fingers for a couple of moments before falling onto the ground.

At the same time Sasori's lips pressed against Deidara's and kissed them tenderly. Deidara kissed back and the hand that had been holding onto the gun ran up the redhead's torso and gripped the shirt. Tender turned eager, eager turned passionate, passionate turned hungry.

Deidara's hand travelled up behind Sasori's head and gripped the hair. He felt the other's teeth nibbling on his lower lip and opened his mouth just enough to let his tongue in. Sasori's hand that had been playing with the buttons on the blond's shirt undid them completely, running across the chest and stomach before returning up to pinch one of the nipples.

Deidara moaned quietly into the kiss. Sasori's hand roamed over the slender curve to rub the younger male's back, Deidara catching himself leaning into the touch.

All too soon did they have to break the kiss for air, a thin layer of salvia remaining between their mouths.

Their faces were still close and breathings equally unsteady, brown orbs staring into a blue one.

"You know that I can't stay with you," Deidara whispered, leaning back against the tree to stretch the distance between them, but Sasori leaned right after him. "You've betrayed me once, I can't trust you not to do that again."

"I know," Sasori murmured, his eyes travelling down to the younger male's lips with a lustful gaze. He pecked them once again before pushing himself away from the tree and clearing the way for Deidara. "If you must go, go."

Deidara gave a single nod and buttoned up his shirt. He retrieved the sword and pistol from the floor and, fixing his hat, tugged down the brim again to shield his face from others' view and made his way to the door as Sasori watched him go from beside the tree.

Deidara halted once on his way and that was to look over his shoulder and say, "Good bye, Danna."

After that he was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Yanno what would be really really cool? Getting the reviews to 250 before the next chapter! Maybe I'd even get some motivation for writing then coz atm I'm all out of chapters n.n; sorry<em>

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	20. Chapter 20

_Open my eyes by the Rasmus fits this chap pretty well, I'd say n.n_

_Prepare for plottwists and new charas, I guess?_

_And, uhm, yeh. This didn't take THAT long._

_Hope yu likey n.n_

**EDIT: SO BASICALLY I DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SLIGHT ERROR AND DEI'S UNCLE COULDN'T BE OROCHIMARU COZ THAT SHIT WAS KILLED LIKE TEN CHAPTERS AGO XD SO HONESTLY I APOLOGIZE AND DEI'S UNCLE HAS BEEN RENAMED TO **_KIKUCHI._

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><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

Deidara did not pick the direct route to his guest house. His ears were ringing with all the thoughts running wild in his head and the thought of the cramped bedroom brought on the feeling of suffocation. He did not want to go back there, at least not yet. He chose a path that led left from his destination but would later twist and turn in the right direction and end up at the town square. The diversion made the walk almost an hour longer, but that was exactly what the young captain was after.

There was mild wind that blew into Deidara's face as he walked down the less crowded than a few hours ago streets. He welcomed it gratefully, hoping for its help in clearing his head. The moon was shining brightly above his head, the sky around it a beautiful dark blue. Deidara let his eye gaze on it, studying the bright light from the moon's surface and the smaller dots of stars around it in the heavenly sea. It looked both mysterious and captivating, almost succeeding in distracting Deidara long enough for him to forget about a certain redhead.

Almost.

For some reason, Deidara had always been attracted by the sky as well as the sea. Maybe it was the mystery that appealed to him, maybe the blue colour. Just like in the sea, more than anything Deidara would have loved to sail in the sky and be able to explore all the unknown that hovered above them. It was a wish he knew would never come true, but a wish it was nevertheless.

Deidara sighed and lowered his gaze when a memory of red flashed through his head.

Red.

Pale skin.

Strong arms.

Captivating brown eyes.

Deidara almost picked up speed to run himself into an upcoming wall. A loud groan filled the empty side street and the man ran his hand across his face. He should have _not_ been thinking about that. While he could not deny lots of things, like the attraction he felt towards Sasori and him being his weak spot, he could certainly not act like he trusted the man, either. The redhead was just too self-centred, too _cocky_, too egoistical. Should it have come down to a choice between his impulse and Deidara's well-being, Sasori would have chosen the first, there was no doubt in that.

That was why Deidara could not let himself be with the guy and have the old feelings he believed to have died but in reality had been buried deep inside of him resurrected. Another sigh escaped the slightly parted lips and the young captain cast his gaze down. The only option was to keep himself away from the redhead. It should not have been hard, the world was big and wide, after all... yet Deidara could not help the feeling he got that no matter the direction he walked in, it would eventually lead to Sasori.

Deidara returned to the guest house rather late and found the place quiet. He got his key from the clerk and made his way up the stairs to his room. He unlocked the door and stepped in, re-locking it behind himself. His hand approached his hat to pull it off and discard it onto the table by the wall when something on the surface caught his eye and his hand halted, going back down to pick up the envelope for inspection.

There was nothing written on the white envelope. He opened it and pulled out a letter from it, unfolding it and letting his eye run over the text.

His eye widened before it reached the third line. He would have recognized that handwriting anywhere, regardless of the quill or ink. What made him pale even more was the red blotch on the upper left corner that resembled awfully lot blood.

In a rush Deidara stuffed the paper into his pocket and scurried out of the room without bothering to lock it. He rushed down the stairs and headed straight to the tavern he knew Konan to reside. Light hurried steps led him through the dark night with the moon shining brightly above his head, illuminating his way.

The young captain reached the tavern soon and stepped inside, where yellowish light reigned over the atmosphere and made it warm and fuzzy. There were few guests still there at such a late hour and Deidara headed towards one of them perched on a bench in the corner without missing a beat. They were leaning against the wall with their jaw resting on their chest, seeming asleep. Deidara sat down across the table and slammed his hand down on the table with enough force the wake the woman, sliding the paper over to her.

"What can you tell me about this?" Deidara demanded.

Konan raised her head slowly, glancing once at the blond before taking in the letter presented before her. She picked it up and let her eyes run over the lines twice before putting it back on the table.

"Where did you find this?"

"It was in my room," Deidara said. "A room that was _locked_."

"They probably got an extra key from the clerk," Konan murmured. "Whether the clerk was aware of it is another matter, of course."

"It's _his _handwriting, Konan!" Deidara said, his words quiet but holding the kind of pressure and worry in it that had a stronger effect than a screeching voice would have. "And there's blood... do you think they're torturing him and then made him write it?"

Konan looked thoughtful as she picked up the letter again, re-reading it once more. "'_Meet us behind the old church half a mile north from the town square before dawn for a talkie or to the sharks I will make a walkie'_," she read. "No matter how you look at it, their sense of humour is horrible."

"_Konan-_"

"Yes, yes," the woman dismissed the unsaid threat. She continued citing, "'_Alone is best to come I vouch or my neck will make an ouch'_. Honestly, I feel my stomach sicken just reading this."

Deidara did not comment.

Finally Konan put the letter back down and said, looking at her companion, "Well, you'd better go alone and you'd better be there before dawn, that's for sure."

Deidara growled. "That's hardly the info I came to you for! Do you have any idea who they might be?"

"It could be someone holding a personal grudge against you, or just someone with a grudge against Shirotori. God knows how many enemies you papa made in his lifetime."

Deidara ran a hand across his face. "Dear Lord, please do not let this be because of that dead bastard."

"It's a possibility," Konan admitted. "More I cannot tell you than that luck favours those who come prepared. And anyone with such sick humour is someone worth preparing for."

Deidara sighed and shoved the letter back into his pocket, getting up from the bench. "I'll go order a beer before I go," he said, walking over to the clerk.

Konan nodded and sank back against the wall, letting her chin down against her chest and dozing off once again.

The long shadow of the old church in the moonlight held an ominous look. Its windows and door were blocked by planks nailed in front of them to stop trespassers from entering the restricted grounds. Deidara's steps echoed in the dead of the night as he came to a stop by the church and glanced around expectantly.

For a while he could hear nothing, there was no wind or hint of anyone's presence besides his own. His fingers twitched in his pocket, crumpling up the letter. A part of him, the younger part that still shared the hesitance and naivety of his younger self, wondered whether he could have gotten some of the details wrong, but the side was overrun by maturity and confidence, which told him he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Eye glancing around restlessly, the young captain let out a weary sigh.

The sound of approaching footsteps immediately put his body back on alert and his hand snatched the hilt of the sword, giving it a tight squeeze as he snapped in the direction of the sound. Knees bent and body leaning slightly forward, Deidara stood anticipating the strangers.

From around the corner two figures appeared. The moonlight illuminated the bright pink colour of the first figure's hair showing from under the hat with two long feathers, the other's dark hair tone melting together with the nighty background. Judging by their attires, Deidara expected the duo to be a couple of young noblemen until he heard the pink haired figure chuckle.

"This is the sole cause of all the ruckus? Hardly a threat this brat has the aura of."

A nerve on Deidara's temple twitched. It had been half a decade since anyone had dared to call him a brat, and in less than three hours he had been called it twice. To top it off, one of the name-givers was a perfect stranger with no right whatsoever for claiming such superiority over him.

"Why don't you reveal your face before looking down on me, you insolent shit?" Deidara challenged, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the features of the woman's face. His efforts were to no avail as the shadows hid the face in dim darkness.

"Hardly an appropriate way to speak to a lady," the second figure spoke as he stepped out of the shadow. The man's skin looked pale in the moonlight with coal black eyes staring at the young captain with contempt and detest.

Deidara blinked in surprise for a second; the face jogged a memory in his mind as though he had seen it somewhere before, but he could not put a finger on where and whether it had actually been him or someone of close resemblance.

It only took a split-moment for him to recover from the surprise and he retorted, "I do not care, be it your mother or lover, a human nevertheless. One mouth to bite, two hands to kill. Now I ask you one more time, show your face!"

A _tsk_ could be heard from the couple before the woman finally took a step forward and raised the brim of her hat, revealing her face.

Deidara raised his eyebrows.

"I do not recognize either of you. What is your business with me?"

"It is not our business that is involved here," the woman announced. "We're merely here to deliver the message." She pulled out a small pack from her pocket and tossed it in front of the blond.

Deidara's eye glanced at it momentarily and instantly shifted back to the couple questioningly.

"Coordinates," the man said. "It's where you are expected exactly three weeks from now."

Deidara's eyes narrowed but stayed fixed on the duo as he bent forward to pick up the package and pocketed it.

"Be there," the woman added, "or your precious friend will have to take a _walkie to the sharkies_." Her tone was saturated with mockery as she winked at the blond.

Deidara gritted his teeth as he felt something snap inside of him. Sensing the movement the blond was about to make, the unfamiliar male lunged into motion a half-second after the blond.

"_SAKURA!_" a yell pierced the night as the woman was pushed to the side.

Closely following was a gunshot that echoed loudly all around the trio. The man fell to his knees, clutching his bicep, which had blood soaking through the cloth.

"_WHERE IS NARUTO?!"_ Deidara screeched at the same time the woman swung around and having spared her companion one glance sprung towards the blond, shouting "_I'LL KILL YOU, BASTARD!_"

Without missing a beat, Deidara took a step back and drew out his sword, ready to defend.

"Sakura, don't-" the man on the ground uttered as he tried to get up, but before he could stop the woman and before the woman could reach Deidara, there was another gunshot in the air and the trio froze momentarily.

Deidara glanced around warily to find the source of the sound when he sensed movement behind him. He snapped his head towards the newcomer and spotted a figure stepping out from behind another building. The young captain was prepared to strike the second the newcomer reached a favorable distance, but the closer they got, the whiter Deidara's face grew until he could barely keep the sword in his hand steady.

The figure approached at a leisurely pace, casually reloading the gun in the meanwhile. His long dark hair danced in the mild breeze and his long mouth was twisted in a peculiar and slightly alarming smile. The eyes shaped like a snake's glowed formidably in the moonlight and greeted Deidara's with a familiar amused look that made the hairs on the blond's neck and back prickle.

"Greetings, Dei-Dei."

Deidara took instinctively a step back. "_Kikuchi," _he hissed, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightening.

The man's face showed pretense hurt. "Why so formal, Dei-Dei? Aren't you glad to see your uncle again?"

"I swore I'd kill you the next time I saw you, bastard," Deidara snarled, glaring daggers at the man that only sighed dramatically.

"How dare you speak in such a way to Lord Kikuchi, you brat?!" Deidara could hear Sakura screech behind him and swiftly turned around, realizing a bit too late that he was caught between two fires.

The woman was fuming and took a threatening step towards Deidara, making the latter deem her as the more urgent threat and raise his sword against her. Before the conflict could turn into a fight again, a loud cough made Sakura halt in her tracks and look past the blond captain.

"Sakura," Kikuchi said, his tone lacking the saccharine tone he had used with Deidara and which the latter despised, "you already received one warning shot. The next one will be through your head."

"B-but my Lord!" Sakura tried to argue, obviously upset, "this brat wounded Sasuke and-"

Kikuchi's eyes narrowed at the woman, resulting in her quieting immediately.

"Do I need to repeat my orders to you?" he demanded.

Sakura lowered her gaze instantly and lowered her head in a bow. "Of course not, my Lord." Deidara could hear a muffled growl escape her lips as she raised her head and her eyes stopped on the blond.

Seeing as the immediate threat the woman had posed was not there anymore for the time being, Deidara turned back to Kikuchi.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked in a demanding tone.

Kikuchi smirked. "I see you recognised his handwriting. How heart-warming. After all these years you still care about him enough to put your own life at risk-"

"I don't have time for your nonsense," Deidara cut him off. "Where is he? He has nothing to do with you. Let him go."

Kikuchi shook his head with a chuckle. "He may have little to do with me, but you on the other hand... I knew you would come to save him, which is why I needed him," the man explained. "Although," he added, "I guess I could have just used that short redhead you still haven't gotten over."

Deidara gritted his teeth. "I swear to God and the Devil below I will kill you, bastard."

"Not if you want to see your precious friend alive again, you won't."

Deidara growled, his glare so poisonous it could have killed a man. Unfortunately, as far as Deidara was concerned, the man before him was not even fully human.

"Where is he?" he demanded again, his coldly calm voice belying his shaking hand that gripped the sword.

Kikuchi smiled. "Wait patiently and you will see."

Deidara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but before he could form a question, another sound reached his ear - galloping. And soon after he could see what Kikuchi had meant - at a distance a horse carriage led by two horses rushed by. It was so dark that Deidara could not fully distinguish the figure sitting by the window, but the single shout left no doubt in his mind.

"_DEIDARA!_"

And then the carriage was gone, along with the person voicing the sound.

Deidara felt like a sharp icicle had stabbed him in the heart, leaving behind a freezing, aching wound that took his breath away. The feeling spread throughout his chest and reached his stomach, infecting it with nausea that made his head reel. He knew he could not give in to the shock and needed to stay strong if he wanted to say Naruto, but it was much easier said than done when there was an avalanche of memories washing over him, threatening to swipe him off his feet.

It was the sickening snickering that brought Deidara back down to Earth.

"As you can see, he's alive and we haven't even slit his throat. You should feel relieved."

Deidara could not get a word out. He could not even bring himself to feel alarm and move when he saw a group of figures approaching from behind Kikuchi, despite knowing that they could not have been on his side, since he had not invited anyone along.

He had come alone and he was alone.

"Just to make sure you understand fully the consequences of what will happen should you not show up, I brought along a few friends to explain," Kikuchi said, the voice sounding muffled and distant to Deidara. "Despite my way with rhymes, I understand that they are just so much better than I am at explanations..."

Deidara could not move and soon he found himself surrounded. He did not resist when his arm was grabbed and he was forced onto his knees. All he could do was stare with a blank look in front of him and listen to Kikuchi say, "Just to be clear, this explanation pales into utter insignificance in the light of what will happen to Naruto, if you do not arrive on time."

-x-

Deidara could hardly feel the cold rain pouring down onto his face as it washed away the blood on his face. The hard ground beneath him did little to relieve his aching body but in the current state he was in, there was almost nothing that would have, so it hardly made a difference.

The sun had yet to rise but the sky was already growing lighter in its shades of gray and blue.

It was difficult for Deidara to keep his eye open so for most of the time he did not bother. He knew he needed to get up and find someplace warm to treat his wounds, but for the time being he could not bring himself to even move a finger.

The state his body was in certainly played an important role in it, but so did his mind as well. He could have moved, had his thoughts of self-pity not kept him exactly where he had been left.

A part of him wondered whether it would be for the best if he just died right there. After all, regardless of how strong the sense of responsibility in him was to save Naruto, he was not sure whether he could actually bring himself to face him after all that he had done - after all, the fact that Naruto had been torn into this was solely his fault. If it had not been for him, none of that would have happened.

And even if he did manage to get to Kikuchi on time, there was no guarantee for Naruto still being alive. So maybe it did not even matter what Deidara did anymore and it would have just been easier to die right then.

Letting out a sigh, Deidara closed his eyes once more. He breathed in, letting the cold oxygen fill his lungs. The motion hurt but Deidara hardly noticed it. He mostly felt numb. And if he could feel nothing despite the fact that every inch of his body was supposed to be hurting, did that not make him as good as dead already?

He had never hoped for a good ending. It had already seemed unlikely in the toff family he had lived in where even the everyday life had driven him insane, Sasori bringing him to Madara's ship had only decreased those already slim odds even further.

Deidara did not feel bad about it. After all the things he had done in the past half a decade, he probably deserved a lot more horrible ending. Maybe this kind of a death was God's way of saying He was not entirely mad at him, that He understood that this was not the path Deidara had chosen for himself and a lot of choices had been forced onto him.

Maybe God was on His way to forgiving him.

The sound of footsteps reached Deidara's ears and his eye snapped open. Trying his hardest to lift his head a bit, he caught a sight of a flash of red before he let his head down again. The motion hurt and this time, Deidara felt it.

Maybe those had been signs that Deidara had misinterpreted, because it did not seem anymore like God wanted to let him off easy.

The figure came to a stop next to Deidara's body and as the blond opened his eye again, finding a very familiar face staring down at him with a stoic expression.

Deidara sighed, feeling the burning in his lungs.

"Hello, Danna."

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	21. Chapter 21

_Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, life's a bitch but I've surviiived, happy birthday to me. I'm 17 now._

_Okay so you MAY want to go back to chap 20 as there was a miiiiinor edit done there lol_

_This chap turned out rather long, I hope you appreciate it cx DEI AND SASSY ARE JUST SO UNFF ugh xD most of it was written very late at night tho so I apologize for the possible lack in quality of this chap ;-; I try._

_Also, to those who felt slightly confused by Naruto earlier - last chapter was the first time he was mentioned, so don't think you just didn't remember him. He will be discussed a bit more in this chap._

_Review, please~ I gave you a long chap and it's my birthdaaaay~_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21<strong>

Rain dampened the blood red locks that rounded the pale face gazing down at Deidara. The intensity of the dark eyes sent familiar shivers down his back that had nothing to do with the temperature or his soaked clothes. He gazed back at them and opened his mouth for the two words, "Hello, Danna."

The older man sighed and Deidara could instantly feel the pain his mind had so far numbed come back to life and hit him with full power. He winced. The dark sky and cool rain had managed to dull the feelings in him, he had already been lingering on the border of consciousness. He had decided there was really no use in trying to get up and with his numbness resigned himself to the path through the tunnel at the end of which they said to be light.

It was so sudden - the sight of the familiar red colour, like fire it had made the tunnel separating him from reality and closing him inside the numbness melt. The walls had all fallen down and were washed off by the rain, reality and pain hitting him like a wave.

Even with all the pain and cold surrounding him that he was very aware of as of the moment Sasori had appeared, Deidara had never felt more alive.

"What do you want?" Deidara groaned, only then realizing how hoarse his voice was and how sore his throat. "How're you here?" It was the question Deidara managed to form, mixing together "why're you here" and "how did you find me".

Sasori sighed again. "What're you doing, Deidara?" he asked, disregarding the inquiries aimed at him.

Deidara coughed and winced at the scratching feeling at the back of his throat. "Contemplating over life's complexities. What're _you _doing?" he retorted.

"You're going to catch a severe cold, if you stay here."

Deidara rolled his eye. "Do you think the body collector will honestly care if my corpse had a sore throat before death or not?"

Sasori's eyes narrowed. Apparently he finally caught the blond's drift.

Without a warning he bent down and picked the younger male up, doing his best to be gentle, which went totally unappreciated by the blond who, with his barely audible voice, let out a groan.

"Put me down!" Deidara hissed with his bruised face pressed uncomfortably against the rough fabric of Sasori's jacket. "Why can't you even let me die in peace?"

The redhead completely ignored the complaints as he spent a moment shifting the weight on his hands, holding the younger male close to his chest and started walking away from the small puddle of blood which quickly got washed away by the rain.

"Thought I told you," he said, "I'm going to take you down to hell with me. Which means I'm not going to let you die yet."

Deidara huffed. "Good luck with that," he responded. "If blood loss won't get me, the cold will."

"Be quiet and rest."

"Make me," Deidara challenged, managing to put a grin on his face as he looked up at the redhead in hopes of irritating him enough to put him down.

Sasori's look was calm as his eyes met Deidara's and he replied nonchalantly, "Be quiet or I'll kiss you."

Deidara blanched and for a moment Sasori's eyes widened the slightest amount in fear that something was off and the blood loss had really gotten to the blond. His grip instinctively tightened on the body until the irked expression the younger male pulled made him relax as he watched the other hide his face in his hair and jacket.

"I hate you."

Sasori rolled his eyes and fixed his gaze ahead of him.

"I love you, too."

-x-

A strong aroma of incense was the first thing Deidara's senses caught when he finally came to. The warm scent filled his lungs with a pleasing touch as his bare chest rose gently; his throat and windpipe felt like new, as though there had never been any harshly burning soreness in them to begin with. Deidara's chest descended as he blew out an equally smooth breath that slithered like silk against his insides.

Deidara opened his eye. He could feel something wet and warm covering his injured eye, which definitely was not the patch he was used to wearing. He was lying on a table of some sort in a room with dry yet thick air, visible smoke hovering below the ceiling. As he tilted his head he could see candles everywhere - on the tables and the windowsills. The wooden walls were decorated with special ornaments and small paintings related to, as far as our captain was concerned, to spirituality.

One look at his own body told him two things: a) he was naked, b) he was healed. Both terms were unnerving and surprising at the same time. There was one white sheet covering Deidara's lower regions, which he was thankful to, while being very aware of the nudity that hid beneath the sheet and understanding its implication to the fact that someone had undressed him while he had been unconscious.

Deidara sat up, holding onto the sheet as he wrapped it around himself, and hoisted his legs off the table. He was very conscious of every movement of his body and the fact that he could literally feel nothing to remind him of _that_ night - he was not sure when it had been exactly as he did not know how long he had been unconscious.

The young captain jumped off the table and took off the white patch on his eye. The floor was surprisingly cold compared to the room temperature and there was no sight of his clothes or boots anywhere. Sighing, Deidara walked to the exit and pushed the curtain aside. It revealed an empty hallway with the same scent of incense filling the space. He walked out of the room and down the hallway when an elderly woman dressed in white turned the corner, coming into view.

"Excuse me!" Deidara said. "I'd like to check out. Could I get my clothes back?"

The woman looked at him in wonder for a moment before smiling amicably. "How're you feeling, dear?"

"I'm well, thank you," Deidara replied, scratching the back of his head in slight discomfort. He would have preferred for the conversation to not stretch too long before he got dressed again. "I really should get going, though, so if I could just get-"

"Oh, young people," the woman chuckled, "always in such a hurry. The man who carried you here was just the same."

At the mentioning of another "man" Deidara's body tensed and he grimaced. So that old bastard was put in the same age category as him? Then again, looking at the woman Deidara thought, anyone would have looked young to a seventy-year-old.

"He isn't still here, is he?" Deidara could not help but ask.

"I believe he has left," the woman said and started passing by him. Deidara had not noticed the folded sheets she was carrying before; he had blocked her way on wherever she was supposed to deliver those. A sigh of relief passed through the blond's lips at her words.

"Your clothes were taken away from cleaning. I will return them to you shortly, if you'd just wait in your room, please."

"Cleaning?" Deidara's tone of voice went up as he thought of all the knives, guns and his sword that he had had stored away in between the layers of his clothes. "What about the-"

"Do not worry yourself over those _accessories_." The woman gave Deidara a knowing smile. "We are not the police. All of your property will be returned to you shortly."

Deidara raised an eyebrow as he watched the woman walk away. Just what kind of an underground place had Sasori taken him to? Deidara sighed harshly as the image of the man's face engendered in his mind, bringing along a baggage of frustration that sleep had banished up until then.

Just what was that bastard thinking? Showing up from who knew where to stick his nose where it most certainly did not belong, dragging Deidara there and then leaving without an explanation? Not that Deidara was not glad to have him gone - of course he was - but now he was forced to deal with everything death would have spared him from. He would have to go to wherever the given coordinates pointed to and make it there in three weeks minus the time he had been unconscious, which was still an unknown amount to him. To top it off, his entire crew was on vacation scattered around Singapore and there was no way he could have set sail on his own. Deidara was starting to feel like picking a fight with a gang of killers just to spite the redhead and save himself from the troubles of life.

"Sir, your clothes are here!"

Deidara turned around and walked back to his room with his head lowered. He knew himself well enough to understand that he would not choose that option no matter what - sense of responsibility and debt to Naruto would keep him alive long enough to get him to wherever the coordinates would lead him.

His current mood encumbered his appreciation of the freshly smelling clothes as he slid them on and secured all his equipment in the right places. Checking his pockets, he found everything that was supposed to be there, there, with one single exception - the paper with the coordinates. Deidara was sure the workers of the place were not responsible for its disappearance - he had had items of much greater value on him and everything had been returned to him. Which only left one person...

"Just can't leave me alone, can you?" Deidara sighed, but the corner of his mouth had twitched slightly upwards, belying his irritated tone.

Deidara walked through the hallway and ended up in what seemed to be the lobby with the same woman he had seen before occupying the chair behind the receptionist table. The blond went up there and started digging in his pockets for a pouch of coins as he spoke, "How much do I owe you?"

The woman gave him the same pleasant smile as before. "Everything has already been paid for, no need to worry."

The fact that he had been paid for and was now in Sasori's debt irritated Deidara greatly. His voice was dripping with strained patience as he said, "Please tell me the sum so I can pay it. It is me you took care of, so it is I who is in your debt."

The woman waved him off with a sense of strictness to her tone. "It is not us you are in debt to, I am afraid."

Deidara swore under his breath. "I'd much rather settle this right here than-"

"You could just treat me to a beer and we'll call it even," a voice sounded from behind Deidara, making the hairs on his neck prickle. He lowered his head and kept his back on the entrance as his grip on the pouch in his pocket loosened. "Or did you really think you could still avoid me?"

Deidara could very well hear the smirk in Sasori's voice but he refused to have his eyes witness it. He pulled his hat lower to shield his face and whipped around, dashing across the room and out of the door, past the figure with arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall.

Deidara knew without looking as he stepped out onto the street and chose a random direction that he would be followed. He kept walking until he reached a corner and had put a desired distance between himself and the shop; then he came to a stop. The footsteps behind him halted and Deidara took the time to mentally count to ten and calm himself before turning around. A pang pierced his chest the second his eye met with the brown ones.

"Where's the note?" Deidara demanded.

Sasori smirked. "I don't talk business on streets," he said and walked past the blond, Deidara noticing the fiery glint in his eyes before he passed. "How about that beer, brat?"

Deidara was not sure what unnerved him more - the nickname that sent his head reeling into a mixed salad of emotions, or the look in Sasori's eyes that he recognized from the times the redhead had had a clear upper hand. Unlike when that pink-haired woman had referred to him as such, when Sasori called him a brat, it left behind something wholly different than pure vexation in the blond. It was a word that came with a package of memories, both from 5 years ago and some a lot more recent.

Deidara sighed harshly as he trailed the redhead. If anyone thought his past with his family was a mess, they should have just seen his love life.

Sasori led them to a tavern Deidara was not familiar with. To tell the truth, Deidara had never been to that part of Singapore, despite his numerous visits to the place. It was not too crowded, which was something the blond appreciated. The duo walked up to the bartender and ordered their drinks before settling down behind a table, both on opposite sides. Deidara's gaze was fixed on the mug as he refused to meet the other's eyes and Sasori monitored his antics with amusement.

"You're sulking just like that one time we visited Cuba and at the hotel you were so frustrated with your feelings towards me that you accidentally wandered into Kisame's room." Sasori chuckled at the memory as Deidara sent him a confused look. "Nearly got yourself killed back then."

"You mean, _you _nearly got me killed back then," Deidara corrected him with a frown. "Those were your men who shot Kisame for reasons I still don't get."

"Kisame was a potential threat," Sasori explained, sipping on his drink. "We used to be on the same side - he was a part of the original Akatsuki - but during our time in England he met someone... should I call him a love interest? Apparently the _interest_ was rather strong and Madara had made him an offer that allowed him to meet this interest quicker than I. So he had to go. Of course, harming you was never part of the plan, which was why they needed to go as well."

"It's rather strange listening to you sharing all this information," Deidara marked. "You wouldn't even tell me the meaning of your tattoo before."

Sasori shrugged. "I've nothing to hide anymore. You're not a helpless child that could easily be tortured for information by anyone anymore."

"I don't agree on being one back then, either," Deidara muttered. Surely he had been naive and reckless back in the day, but he had also been willing to give up on his own life for the redhead. No-one would have gotten information out of him about Sasori even back then and the fact that Sasori belittled it so easily was, truthfully, hurtful.

"Helpless enough to-"

Deidara sharply cut him off, "Regardless, _loyal _enough to follow your every order. Don't think carrying the corpses of the servants that _I'd killed _hurt any less than a twisting blade in the shoulder."

Sasori considered his words, eyes analyzing the sullen mask that had covered the younger male's face. Despite the uncaring facade the blond had put up, Sasori took notice of the flash of melancholy hidden in the ocean blue orb. "Perhaps," he finally admitted.

Silence enveloped them as the redhead leaned back in his seat and enjoyed his drink. Deidara's mug was on the table in front of him and he did not touch it. It was not as though he expected there to be anything wrong with the drink; there was just something about what had been said that was weighing on his mind and no matter how hard Deidara damned it, he could not stop the mild heat gathering in his cheeks as he pondered over it.

"You mean..." he started and trailed off as he lowered his head until the chin was pressed against his jacket and the hat had sunk low enough to cover his face.

"Hm?" Sasori prompted as he took in the shrunken figure of the younger male.

"...you knew already then?"

"Knew what?" Sasori quirked an eyebrow as an amused sparkle danced in his eyes. He was not certain of what the other was referring to but knew it to be interesting judging by Deidara's behaviour.

"...knew why I was sulking back then..."

Deidara hated the way he was acting but despite everything he had been through, he could not find it in himself to be straight-forward about the matter and face Sasori straight on. It was like his kryptonite - even though he was ready to take on death any time of the day, he could not talk about his feelings from five years ago without a strong sense of discomfort and embarrassment.

Managing to fluster him even more, Deidara heard Sasori chuckle and sent him the dirtiest look he could muster.

"Back then, no," the redhead admitted. "You were a first for me in many ways and believe me I was not playing dumb when I said I did not know how to keep you alive. My knowledge on _love_" - Deidara winced at the word - "was even poorer. These are just the dots I've connected afterwards."

This soothed Deidara and he let his body ease up as he came out from behind the shield of his jacket and hat. He took the mug in front of him, cocking his head back as he let the liquid pour down his throat. Removing his other hand from his pocket, he produced a pouch of coins on the table and shoved it towards Sasori.

"Here," he said. "Now we're even."

Sasori shook his head as he pushed the sack back to the blond.

"You were never in my debt. I was redeeming my own."

Deidara sent him a questioning look. "What're you talking about?"

"An eye for an eye," Sasori said, not meeting the blond's gaze. Deidara sensed sudden discomfort from the other, which was not something he had anticipated. "If it wasn't for you, I would've died on Madara's ship already."

The crease between Deidara's eyebrows deepened once he realized what incident the other was referring to. "That time you got shot was _my_ _fault!_" Deidara all but shouted and even stood up, leaning in with a fuming expression as he propped himself on his hands on the table. "Of course I had to do everything I could to make you well again. If I hadn't kissed you and made you turn your back on the fight, you would've never been shot!"

Sasori eyes had widened. "Is that what you've believed all this time?"

"It's the truth!" Deidara argued heatedly.

Sasori shook his head in denial. "I was just careless," he said, "You're not to be blamed for that."

"I disagree," Deidara stated firmly as he sat back down, keeping his glare solidly fixed on the redhead.

Sasori waved him off nonchalantly. "Feel free to do as you wish, but take your money back."

"I owe it to you since you paid for me!"

"Technically," said Sasori, "I forced the treatment upon you. So you can keep it."

"You're vexatious," Deidara snapped.

"Of course." Sasori chuckled.

Deidara growled. "Just when do you plan on giving me my note back? And how the hell did you find me by that church anyway?"

"Konan mentioned it. And I'll give it back after you've explained what it's about."

Deidara's eye widened and his jaw hung loose for a moment as he took in the redhead's casual figure as he stated his demands like it was an everyday thing for him to do. Like it was only natural for him to know what Deidara was up to. Like he had never broken anything off between them in the first place.

"Why're you so persistent on sticking your nose in my business when you agreed to let me go?" Deidara demanded.

An eyebrow arched. "I don't recall agreeing to anything."

"Behind the Golden Dove!" Deidara exclaimed, earning a few curious looks from the other visitors before he forced his voice quieter. His eye narrowed as he hissed at Sasori who gave the impression of being unaffected by all the troubling emotions that were storming inside the blond. "You - said," Deidara reminded him, stressing every word separately, "_If you must go, go_. You - let - me - leave."

"I never said I wouldn't follow."

Deidara stared at him incredulously, wishing he knew harsh enough words to spit at the redhead that would actually offend him. Unfortunately there was no point in telling a demon to go to hell as the only reply he would get would have been along the lines of _been there, done that_.

"Don't you have some other important pirate business to take care of?" Deidara snapped. His patience was being worn extremely thin.

Sasori smiled. "As it happens, I don't have a ship to care for anymore. I'm just a guy who caught a ride with the British Navy to Singapore with a few friends. I'm free to do what I will."

"Which would be getting in my way all the time?"

"It's a pirate's duty to take care of their treasure, isn't it?"

That was the point where Sasori lost the younger male. Deidara's angered expression twisted into one of mild confusion.

"I thought I blew up all your treasure together with that ship? Or do you really have some buried on an island like in the urban legends?"

Sasori chuckled and downed his drink. "Not all treasure is silver and gold, brat."

"Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Sasori did not reply.

Deidara sighed and shook his head. "Some things never change," he muttered.

"That aside," Sasori said as he set his empty mug on the table, "what's waiting for you at these coordinates?"

"Death, probably."

That comment succeeded in getting the reaction Deidara had been waiting for - Sasori's calm expression darkened and eyes narrowed at him, jaw visibly tensing. The topic of death did not seem to sit well with him, Deidara had noticed.

There was intense silence between the two while Sasori's only words were the ones his eyes emitted, which was another demand for explanation from the blond. Deidara did not know what it was about death that riled the redhead after the death toll he had induced during his life time, but something in his expression made the blond cautious about pushing it.

"It's a long story," he said finally.

"I have time," Sasori pressed.

Deidara could see that there was no way out and took a deep breath.

"It's an old friend of mine, Naruto," he started, shifting his gaze onto the table to avoid the burning stare directed at him. "We met back when I was living with the Iwagas. I owe him a lot, more than I can probably even dream to ever repay. He was the son of a family friend and we grew very close one summer. It was right after my 14th birthday and I was going through a rough period back then. It was when my revulsion for those snobs had reached its peak after nobody believed me when I said what my uncle had done to me. I really hated life and everyone back then.

"Every single day I was forced to watch those powdered pigs living like Gods, never bothering to step down from their high horses in fear of getting a speck of dust on their new pair of shoes. All the while they were perched high up on the clouds, I was withering down in a pit of mud and not once - not a single time did anyone hold out their hand to help pull me up. They were just content with watching me fade away as long as their own clouds remained clean and untouched."

Deidara bit his lip and his hand curled up into a trembling fist as he remembered the emotions that had overwhelmed him back then. The angst and pure hatred for his family, which had never completely faded. Even now, years after their horrible deaths, Deidara could not find it in himself to forgive them.

"Naruto was the only one that took the time to listen to what I had to say and actually believed me. He helped me cope. Without him, I don't think I would've ever made it so far to meet you."

"Wouldn't that have been fortunate for you," Sasori muttered.

The corner of Deidara's mouth twitched and he chuckled, grateful for remark that induced the slight change in atmosphere. "Maybe," Deidara agreed. Slowly as his face fell again, he continued, "I haven't seen him ever since I met you. As you can imagine, despite his understanding nature, showing up as a pirate captain behind his polished door wasn't exactly something I could've done. I never wanted him to get involved in this. He deserves a good life, one that would lead him to heaven. Not like you and I, you know?"

Sasori chuckled. "Not like you and I, indeed."

"Behind that church I met my uncle," Deidara continued a lot quieter, chewing on his bottom lip, "and some ruined souls he has deceived into calling him _Lord_. He has captured Naruto and now wants me to meet him at those coordinates three weeks after our meeting."

The young captain scraped a hand over his face and let out an agitated growl. For a moment he had managed to make himself forget about it by shifting his attention to Sasori; God knew he was quite a distraction. But now that he was forced to explain it all, even the redhead could not block the feeling of utter despair headed his way.

How the hell was he supposed to save Naruto? Even if he could gather up some men in such a short period of time - which was unlikely - willing to go on such a mindless trip with nothing in it in for them - even less likely - and make it there in time - chances of that were already very close to zero - how could he ever make up for everything he had put Naruto through when he couldn't even redeem what he had done for him in the past?

"Or..." Sasori prompted cautiously, anticipating the ending.

Deidara did not reply.

"I see," Sasori said. "The obvious."

"Yeah," said Deidara. He rubbed his eye and focused on breathing normally to gather his wits. Even with the chances barely hovering over zero, he still had to try, which meant gathering as many men as he could for starters. There was no time to waste, he had to move.

Deidara grabbed his mug and emptied it, letting the alcohol fill his system and make up for the optimism and hope for a good future that he lacked. The mug met the table with a loud slam as Deidara blew out a determined breath and fixed his gaze on Sasori, stating firmly, "I gave you what you wanted, now I need that note back. I'm already short on time and I still need to gather a crew."

Sasori cocked his head to one side as he gave the blond a calculating look. "You need some men to set sail as soon as possible," he mused.

"Yes," Deidara said with a note of urgency while Sasori's thoughtful expression gave the impression like he was in no hurry and had all the time in the world. Which he probably did.

Sasori's hand went into his pocket and he pulled out a folded paper. Deidara's eye widened and he reached to grab it instantly as it was set down on the table, only to find Sasori's firm hand keeping it pinned against the wooden surface and not letting it go.

"What?!" Deidara demanded, glaring daggers at the redhead. Did Sasori not have even the minimal amount of decency in him to let him go and attempt to make use of his miserable life while he still had it, or was he really planning to hinder that as well?

"What would you say," Sasori started, slowly straightening up and leaning closer to the blond, "if I offered you a crew that would be ready by sunrise?"

Deidara's expression was incredulous. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Sasori assured him. "A proper crew, the best you can find, and most definitely the quickest."

Deidara rolled his eye. This could not be that easy, there had to be something. "What do you want in return?" he asked.

"A passenger seat on your boat."

And there it was.

Deidara swore under his breath and turned away as he considered it. There was a long list of reasons why he knew it not to be a good idea, but the passing seconds in his mind only managed to stress the urgency and issue of time, winning against every other counter argument his mind had to offer. He had no other option, he finally decided.

"Deal."

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	22. Chapter 22

_Last time I updated it was a rly long chapter, plus my birthday and I got about one third of the reviews I usually do, even though the number of readers has not dropped :) :) :) I'll get back to you with an eventual cliffhanger, don't worry. _

_In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy this chappie and thank you everyone who did review the last chapter, you are rly awesome!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

Layers of pink began to shade the part of the horizon where the sea and sky departed. Gusts of wind played with the watery surface while a blue eye watched its dance from the harbour. The sun was about to rise and the wind showed signs of a promising sailing weather for the day. Blond strands were blown into his face but Deidara did not reach out to brush them away. His hands were linked behind him, ears alert for approaching footsteps.

With the help of Konan, he had actually managed to gather up some members of his own crew who would be meeting up with him on the docks. Should Sasori fail to show up - Deidara still had not decided how much he trusted the other to keep his promise - he would be rather low on numbers, but not completely helpless. They would make do with what they had and be able to set sail nevertheless. The only question was, how long would Deidara wait after his crew showed up before giving up on the redhead?

From his left he could hear the sounds of a few sailors approaching. The dearth of traffic on that early hour made it easy to pick up on voices from a couple of hundred meters. Deidara turned his head and noticed a group of figures approaching. He could not determine the number of the members yet, which he suspected to be the result of his gradually worsening sight. The loss of one eye had not been a promising sign to begin with, and Deidara considered himself lucky for the episodes of headaches to have begun only a year ago. He could tell that his sight was not as clear as it had been years ago, but did not experience excessive worry over the matter - odds were that he would meet his death much sooner than his visual impairment proved to be a problem.

As the figures neared, Deidara could discern five men, all of whom he recognized as his own. Their loyalty rather amazed the blond as it was quite rare to be come across those days when people could sell their lovers for some cattle and whiskey (or a ship). Despite that valued feature Deidara was convinced they would not be in too pleased of a mood upon arrival. He just hoped the few whores he had coaxed onto the ship were enough to satisfy his crew enough to have them cooperate.

Deidara never ceased to be amazed by his own ability to stoop even lower every time he was fully convinced he had hit the dead bottom and could not sink any deeper.

The young captain was about to raise his hand to greet his men when a gunshot in the air struck him by surprise and he whipped around. There - at the corner of a silent fishermen's pub - trooped closer a larger group of men with the unmistakably red-haired leader walking at front. The bullet had apparently been shot in the air to declare their arrival by a silver-haired albino Deidara vaguely remembered to possess a foul mouth.

Deidara's eye narrowed at the group with scepticism. Only the twisted sense of humour from God could lead life down a path which would make the blond the captain of Sasori's crew, the Akatsuki. Or perhaps it was only the twisted humour of Sasori. At the very least, Deidara was now aware of the albino being one bullet short, should there have risen the need for slaughter.

Deidara could sense the alertness of the men now behind him and did not miss the clinks of the blades being drawn.

"Steady, men," Deidara warned. "Do not attack without me saying so."

"What's their business here, Capt'n?" one of the sailors inquired.

"We'll see."

Sasori along with his group of ten arrived and came to a stop at a safe distance from Deidara, only the redhead stepping closer for a greeting. Deidara met him halfway as the thought of whatever Sasori had to say to him being shouted across the harbour for all to hear did not exactly appeal to him.

"'Morning, Dei," Sasori murmured with a stoic expression that was obvious to everyone, and a subtle amused glint in his eyes Deidara was not sure others noticed, "I see you've corrected your habit of sleeping in."

"I see you've brought your group of throat-slitters for the promise of a _good crew_," Deidara marked with hardly hidden irritation as he glared at the redhead. He had known that the redhead could not be trusted, but a stunt like the current one was beyond even what Deidara could have imagined.

Sasori cracked a small smile. "They're not so bad."

Deidara's blue eye shifted from the redhead to over his shoulder to examine the crew. "I can spot three that have expressed the will to kill me in the past."

"Ah, but you were only a child back then, brat," Sasori spoke with an amused undertone that somehow gave the feeling of softness and warmth Deidara did not wish to elaborate on. "This is your chance to test your skills as a captain. You already bewitched their leader, how tough can the rest be?"

Deidara noticed the albino he had recalled from before murmuring something inaudible to the others and giving a challenging smirk when he noticed the blond's eye on him. Deidara's eye narrowed.

"I'll feed every last bit of them to the sharks in case of treason."

"That's your right as the captain, Dei."

Deidara took a breath and, strict gaze still on the crew, pushed past Sasori and walked up to the Akatsuki, bellowing, "Line up, ye mongrels, and let me see yer faces." Deidara could hear another muffled snicker from the albino but chose to ignore it as his order was carried out instantly. He positioned himself at the end of the line and took in the first man there. It was a peculiar-looking man with green hair and a face divided into a white and a black half.

"Name?" Deidara asked, giving the man of rather intimidating height that the blond did not let himself be threatened by a measuring look. His gaze was fixed on the horizon like that of a soldier, which succeeded in making a rather good first impression on the young captain.

"Zetsu."

"You'll be adding _Captain _or _sir _to the end of that sentence."

"Zetsu, _sir_," the man corrected himself instantly and Deidara was about to move on with content when a barely audible mutter from the man made him freeze in his tracks.

"Pardon, mate?" Deidara gave the man a curious look and held it long enough to understand that his question was not going to be answered. Before he could repeat himself, or say anything else, Sasori, who had snuck up on him from behind, said, "Don't bother. He's a good lad, but strange. You'll be better off not heeding anything he doesn't utter loudly."

Deidara just decided to take the redhead's word on it. Giving Zetsu another uncertain look, he moved on to the next man.

The next one stood shorter than Zetsu and possessed hair of similar tone to Sasori's. That alone was enough to make Deidara look at him with suspicion, despite the man's gaze being fixed straight ahead as well in an exemplary manner.

"Name?" Deidara demanded.

"Nagato, Capt'n."

Other than the fifty shades of grimness the guy had going on about him, there was nothing else to go on, so Deidara proceeded on to the next one. The check up went rather smoothly, that was until Deidara reached a tan man of great stature next to whom the albino was standing.

"Name?" the blond asked, just like he had done for the previous ones, when the snickering of the silver-haired man faded out what could have been the tall sailor's answer.

"Whatcha needin' Kakuzu's name for, British boy? So you can add _Danna _to his name as well?"

Quicker than a flash of light Deidara had drawn a pistol from his sash and rested the barrel under his neck with the muzzle pressing against the chin. Deidara's tone of voice dropped an octave when speaking and eye possessed a glare so poisonous it would have made even Sasori proud, "What was that you wagged your tongue for?"

"I was only curious about the-"

Before the man could even get to the gist of the sentence, the grab of his one hand to get him off balance and one quick swipe through his legs had him on his back in a split-second. The next thing he knew after he raised his head was the blade of a sword pressing too close for comfort against his chest, already cutting through the jacket and shirt. His gaze rose to meet the death glare of the blond male who had been put in a drastically different light in the man's eyes when looked at from the ground.

Blood-curdling threat shouted back from the blue eye that held contact with the silver-haired male's. All of a sudden, with the cold wind tearing at the blond locks, the long brown jacket and the feather attached to the tri-cornered hat, it was finally revealed who the fragile little boy from half a decade ago had really become. The strong hand held the sword fixed on the older man's chest, the pressure on the skin threatening to let the steel pierce further.

"Whatever name you might call me, just remember that you'll only be placing yourself beneath that name, for it is _this British boy_ that will be cutting off your insolent tongue and wiping his feet on your corpse should he feel the necessity for a door mat." Deidara took a step closer, bowing down to the other and slamming his foot down on the other's crotch so hard a high-pitched whimper escaped the man's mouth.

"I'd hold my tongue, if I were you," Deidara said, "since this I can tell you - I've a short fuse."

The older man was biting down hard on his lower lip to not let another sound he did not want to make pass as he waited for the blond to move. Deidara on the other hand appeared rather comfortable in the position he was in with his foot in place and the sword sliding upwards, cutting through the fabric of the clothes as the blade was gradually slicing deep enough to draw blood. The young captain seemed to have no intentions of releasing the foulmouthed pirate before he could heard the words he wanted.

The tense atmosphere was cut through by an amused chuckle Deidara had no trouble recognizing.

"I suggest using another method for a lunatic that stabs himself on daily basis to please a foreign God," Sasori commented. "Hidan is what they modernly call a _masochist,_ in and outside the sleeping quarters."

Deidara groaned as he straightened up and turned away from the man. "I did not need those images in my head."

There were a few chuckles among the crew as Hidan heaved himself off the ground, legs acting stiffer than they used to.

"How the hell do you threaten a masochist?!"

"No bloody need to," Hidan grunted as Deidara turned back to look at him with a raised eyebrow. The man did not look half as amused as he had before; an eerie expression of cautiousness and scepticism covered his face.

"Only someone with a shit ton of black magic could make Akasuna chuckle. I ain't messing with that shit. Consider me a kiss-ass follower."

Deidara looked puzzled for a moment, then gave Sasori a questioning look who just shrugged it off. Deidara did the same.

"Right. That was Hidan," he confirmed before turning to the tall tan male whom he had not got an answer before, "and you were-?"

"Kakuzu, Capt'n," the man said, sounding utterly bored and unaffected by the recent happenings.

Deidara gave a nod. "In that case, I'd say we're done."

Another group could be seen approaching from the distance. Three more men of Shirotori, and an additional member Deidara had not been expecting.

"You've decided to come back after all?" Deidara asked with disbelief as the others went on board and he alone stayed behind with the blue-haired woman.

She gave a curt nod.

"Why the change of heart?" Deidara inquired carefully. "I thought it'd be too painful for you after what happened with Yahiko."

Konan shook her head. "What was most painful was seeing him go," she muttered, her eyes hidden by the hair and hat so that Deidara could not read it, nor could he interpret the low, calm tone she was speaking in. "It was the most painful experience in my life. But that only means that everything else I will be able to take. And I do need to take more, for I've a person to protect, Captain."

Deidara did not feel as though it would have been right to pry further. "Welcome back on board, Konan," he said.

Sasori did not have much to do on the ship. Deidara had left Konan in charge while disappearing himself and was nowhere around to be found. Sasori kept his eyes peeled for any signs of him, but when lunchtime finally rolled around without the blond making an appearance, he became convinced he was being avoided on purpose.

Sasori decided to let the other be for a while, although he was more than certain Deidara was hiding away in the only place no-one would bother him - the captain's quarters. It had been an eventful morning for the younger male and knowing him he was likely to be in the process of calming his nerves from the irritation Sasori was partially responsible for - it was probably for the best to not bother him until evening.

After lunch Sasori went below the deck to check out the compartment that had been allocated for him. He found it to be nearly identical to the one he and Deidara had used to share back on Madara's ship, it was rather ironic. The small space with a bed and a table was not much, but enough to satisfy a person's needs - although after the years he had been able to spend in the captain's quarters of the Akatsuki, Sasori found it hardly to his liking.

The redhead did not bother stepping in - he would not be spending any nights in that cramped compartment if he could help it. With one swing he turned around and slammed the door closed.

The wind was pleasantly warm on the deck as the sun began to set. Sasori was leaning on the bulwark watching as the day was coming to an end, along with the time limit he had set for himself.

An entire day should have been enough for the blond to enjoy his solitude and calm down. There was a limit to Sasori's patience and in his opinion the time he had given the blond had been generous enough; now he was tired of waiting however.

The redhead stayed by the bulwark until the last of the sun had disappeared behind the ocean before standing up straight and sashaying in the general direction of the captain's compartment.

On his way he came across a sailor he assumed to be part of the Shirotori. The man took notice of the way he was headed and decided to give a fair warning, "I wouldn't bother the Captain at the moment, if I were you. The last person who did got nailed to the wall."

Sasori paid no mind to the man and proceeded towards his destination with a roll of his eyes. Just what was the brat thinking allowing his feelings to take over? He had a mission and was already short on men, it was no time to be killing them off randomly. By the door of the compartment Sasori could see the bleeding corpse of the man the sailor had told him about - with a sword through his stomach he was indeed nailed to the wall.

Sasori did not bother knocking and opened the door without a warning. The next moment a knife hit the wall two inches from his face, the blade piercing the wooden surface and sticking there. Sasori's eyes widened as they moved from the hazard to the room. A second later the sound of glass shattering took the redhead by surprise and he watched as Deidara, who had already turned his attention away from him, let out a shriek and threw another bottle against the wall where it shattered to pieces. He ran his hands through his blond hair and gripped the locks, tearing at them until he fell on his knees and leaned on the desk with his face buried in his crossed arms.

Sasori took notice of the fact that the hat of the ex-captain of Shirotori was not on the blond's head but in a pile of trash consisting of things that had apparently been broken earlier. The room was - to put it lightly - a complete mess, the leftovers of the rampage decorating the surroundings. Sasori could distinguish heavy breathing coming from Deidara, but could not tell whether the younger male was sobbing or not.

Something did not feel right about the picture - even for Deidara a rampage like this over a bad morning and a crew of douches was too much. There had to be something Sasori was not aware of tormenting the blond, and he could feel the sense of curiosity and worry pulling him closer to the collapsed figure of the younger male. Staying cautious he took steps across the room closer to Deidara. The young captain showed no reaction by his proximity, no signs of the hatred and bitter love he otherwise did not go a second without expressing towards the redhead.

"Deidara?" Sasori said quietly as he placed his hand on the other's head, tenderly allowing it to caress the blond locks. "What's wr-"

A firm grip on his sleeve cut the redhead off and he gazed at it silently until his eyes caught the motion of Deidara raising his head.

The younger male's eye was completely red and tears glistened on his cheeks, which were along with the rest of his face horror-struck pale. Sasori's eyes widened at the sight. It had been a long, long time since he had last seen Deidara so out of it and so fragile like a lost child on the street. He had not been expecting to encounter a situation such as this again; not so soon at least, if ever. Deidara had grown and matured so much Sasori had been certain he had left such emotionality behind him, but little did he know it had all just been buried deep inside of the blond.

"I-I can't forget," Deidara murmured so quietly Sasori was not sure if he was talking to him or himself. His blue eye was fixed in front of him on the table as his hand remained to hold on tight to the redhead's sleeve.

"I just - I can't get it out of my head." The voice was louder this time, revealing more of the bitter tone lacing the words. Deidara's other hand ran across his face and he scraped his hair back, holding it so tight it must have hurt but he did not let go. "It's in my brain. It's stuck there and won't leave. Ever. I just keep hearing and seeing it over and over again and-"

"Hearing and seeing what?" Sasori asked warily and in a low tone to not upset the younger male even more.

Deidara bit his lower lip; he _really _bit it, teeth sinking deep into the skin and chewing on the flesh as his face twisted up in another pained expression. Sasori almost regretted asking, and it did not look like he was getting a reply.

Deidara tore the handful of hair he had grabbed from the back, in front of his face and let out a strangled groan. Loudly he slammed the hand down on the table and bolted up, throwing his arms around the mildly taken aback redhead. He buried his face in Sasori's neck, hands gripping the fabric on the back as he let out a sob.

Sasori's arms gently looped around his waist and met behind.

"I remember everything," Deidara whispered. "Every moment of that night. Every touch by that bastard."

Sasori tensed.

"You mean your uncle?" he asked in a monotone voice, blocking out all emotion the topic brought upon him from his voice.

Deidara's grip on his shirt tightened.

"I hate him so much." A pause. "But I think I hate myself even more for remembering." The voice was all but a whisper.

Sasori's eyebrows drew together in a deep frowned and he shrugged off the blond so he could look at him.

"You should not hate yourself," he said firmly. "What that bastard did and what he put you through - anyone would remember."

Deidara refused to meet his gaze. "I thought I'd forgotten," he began. "Not entirely erased the memory, but I didn't think about it anymore. Put it out of my mind. But then - I saw him again. And - and" - Sasori could hear a choked sob as the blond's voice cracked - "I can't believe I still felt _fear_. I was still afraid of him, so much - so much, it almost paralyzed me, even though I should have cut off his head right then, I couldn't - and I - I-"

Deidara broke into another fit of sobs.

Sasori listened with an expressionless look to the younger male's crying as his arms around the other's figure tightened. When he spoke, the emotions mixed in his voice belied greatly his calm appearance.

"Deidara, don't hate yourself," he pleaded, closing his eyes and leaning in so that their foreheads were touching. "None of it was your fault, it was a natural reaction. Don't hate yourself for it. Hate that bastard. Hate me. Not yourself, you don't deserve it. Please, Deidara."

A tear flowed down from the closed blue eye as Deidara asked, "How can I not - when I cannot even forget this one memory?"

"Then I'll make you forget," Sasori whispered as his lips met the blond's in a soft peck. "I'll be the only thing you remember, so you won't be able to hate anyone else. Understand?"

Deidara's hand gripped his collar and pulled him back against his mouth, saying, "Please, Danna."

Deidara's arm slithered around Sasori's neck as their kiss deepened and Sasori's tongue made its way into the younger male's mouth. The kiss was hungry and passionate, Sasori working his way up to devouring all of the blond as his hands wandered around across his body while the younger male was more than eager to offer every inch of himself to him. Before long Deidara's jacket was on the floor and his shirt followed after. Sasori led the blond to the bed and laid him down in one smooth movement, their lips never losing contact.

Deidara's hands were tugging on Sasori's shirt and in the small pause Sasori made in between of the kisses, he allowed the piece of clothing to be pulled over his head and discarded onto the floor. Without missing a beat his mouth was then again on Deidara's before moving downwards to devour the entirety of his neck.

A low moan left Deidara's mouth as he could feel his body beginning to relax. His hands wandered about on Sasori's back as a trail of kisses was left on his neck, shoulders and collarbones. He let his hands travel lower on the redhead's body until he could hook his fingers on the hem of the pants. Deidara longed for the state where all of his head was a haze, where there was no room for thought, only the physical feeling - the state he knew Sasori would be able to put him in like no-one else.

Sasori caught the subtle hint and moved back up to peck Deidara's lips before muttering, "I'm afraid I'm going to need to make you beg for it, Dei."

Deidara frowned. "I thought this was supposed to be about me, not you and your control freak nature?"

Sasori chuckled as he kissed the blond again. "It is, but how else am I going to make you forget? I swore I'd make myself the only thing on your mind."

"Forget what?" Deidara tried but knew it beforehand to be a failed attempt.

Sasori kissed him passionately again while his hand travelled down to rub his clothed crotch. Deidara moaned as his back arched at the feeling and he could feel the yearned mist starting to form in his mind.

"Sasori-"

Sasori smirked against the blond's cheek and planted a kiss there as his hand skilfully undid the buttons on the other's pants and slithered in, gripping the semi-hard member.

"Yes, Dei?" he purred and started pumping the member at a slow pace.

"It feels - so good-"

"Mhmm," Sasori murmured as his lips found Deidara's again and moved with them in a slow, lust-filled kiss. His hand began increasing the pace a little, earning a gasp from the younger male as a reward.

"_Sasori_," Deidara breathed, his hips starting to move in sync with the redhead's strokes, "I wish for more - please - Sasori no Danna-"

"More of what, DeiDei?" Sasori teased mercilessly, whispering seductively into the blond's ear. "What do you wish more of?"

"_You_," Deidara said. "_Please._"

Another kiss was planted on Deidara's lips as Sasori undid his own pants and set the younger male's legs wider apart. He positioned himself at the blond's entrance and, with their lips still locked, pushed in.

The pace was slow at first, Sasori allowing Deidara to adjust to the feeling. His hand was still on the blond's member, gently stroking it, although he could tell it longed for a much rougher treatment already. He increased the speed both ways at the same time, loving each and every one of the sounds that escaped Deidara's mouth due to it. The blond's pleasurable moans and cries of his name were something he would surely never get enough of.

Sasori made sure to not take it too fast as he aimed for a prolonged feeling that would have a much greater effect - the method made Deidara whine and ask for _more_ and _faster_, all of which Sasori took great pleasure in hearing. Just because he was going slow did not mean he was going easy on the blond - each thrust was a rough strike that sent waves of pleasure throughout both their bodies as he took his time sliding back to repeat the process again. Because this was a promise he was determined to keep - he did not want anything else on Deidara's mind; not that night, not the following morning.

His lips brushed against the younger male's and travelled across his neck and shoulders, which he had many times covered before already. It was the taste and heat he could never get enough of - the gentle figure of the strong youth beneath him that only he was capable of making that way. No matter how many times he touched him, he would always be longing for more.

"Deidara," Sasori whispered in his ear after sliding nearly all the way out again and pausing. "I love you." In the next beat he slammed back in. He gripped the younger male's member tighter this time and started pumping it faster, willing to finally push the other over the edge. He started rocking faster and even harder, feeling Deidara's nails digging into his back and scratching so hard Sasori suspected they might have been drawing blood.

But he did not care. The pain added to the pleasure and it all just felt so good, so good to finally have the blond with him and being able to do however he pleased. In a couple of more thrusts Deidara reached his climax and screamed out loud Sasori's name as he followed right after him.

They lay immobile in each other's arms for a while before Sasori pulled out and placed a kiss on the blond's forehead.

"How's that mind of yours?"

Deidara's eyes were closed. "It's fucked up," he muttered. "By you. And your talk of love."

Sasori chuckled. "Do you wish to sleep or shall we go for another round?"

Deidara opened his eye and looked into the pair of brown ones that stared right at him with softness and warmth, which were enough to make his heart skip a beat. His hand travelled up behind Sasori's neck and pulled him closer, connecting their lips.

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><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	23. Chapter 23

_I. HAVE. NEWS._

_I know I've said this before, but this time I rly mean it: I'VE THE FINAL ENDING OF THIS FIC FIGURED OUT. I was plotting on paper this fic and when the idea hit me, half of the voices in my mind were yelling at me coz it's so horrible and the rest were like doo iiiiiiiit! Oh man people are gonna hate me :'D_

_Though I can promise you two things:_

_1) There's no point in trying to guess what will happen because I can ASSURE you, you're way way wayyyy off_

_2) In the end, it will all still make sense. You won't see it coming, but once you understand, everything will just click._

_There'll be quite a few more chaps to go then but I don't really think we'll hit the 30 chap mark. _

_SO YEAH._

_I'd like to say that this is payback for the lack of reviews on my birthday, but it rly isn't. It's just destiny. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 23<strong>

Sasori did not sleep deeply that night; he stayed alert and was woken on multiple occasions by the blond shifting in the bed next to him. Deidara had long ago slithered out of his embrace and was currently curled up on one side with his back on him, but Sasori did not mind. He did not mind being woken - he knew it was mostly his own mind that kept waking him, Deidara was not loud at all. Beside the content that being able to sleep next to the other filled him with, Sasori was grateful for the chance to keep an eye on him.

Lying on his back, his eyes shifted onto the ceiling and fell closed until he heard a low murmur that made them snap open again. He glanced at the blond. The moonlight coming from the window shined directly on the younger male's face, which looked crumpled up and troubled. He was shifting uneasily and after while another murmur, too incoherent and quiet for Sasori to comprehend, left his lips.

Sasori rolled onto his side and gently placed his hand on Deidara's shoulder. The blond cringed again and gave a whimper, drawing his knees closer to his chest. His breathing was erratic and Sasori's forehead creased with worry as he monitored the younger male struggling in the grips of a nightmare. His own restlessness weighed heavily on him, but Sasori all but ignored that as he propped himself up on his elbow.

He considered waking the blond, but before he could make up his mind, Deidara gave a loud yelp and bolted up, panting as though he had just run a marathon. He bent forward and covered his face with his hand, waiting for his breathing to slow down.

Sasori sat up ran a hand up his bare back, coming to a stop on the shoulder. It was then that he heard a quiet sob.

"Dei…" Sasori said as he wrapped his arms around the blond and pulled him against his chest.

Deidara turned around in his arms and returned the embrace, burying his face in the redhead's neck wordlessly.

Sasori rubbed his back soothingly, which he knew, or hoped at least, would work better than words, because honestly, he was out of things to say.

Deidara took comfort in the physical contact and his sobs soon ceased. Sasori did not let go, however, but simply lay back down again, letting Deidara rest on his chest. His fingers were drawing patterns on the blond's skin, sometimes wandering over to his arm and tracing the kanji inked onto the shoulder.

"I don't want to fall back asleep yet," Deidara murmured after awhile, snuggling his nose against the redhead's chest.

"What do you want then?" Sasori asked.

"I don't know. I'm so tired."

Sasori considered it for a moment. "I could talk to keep you awake."

"Yes, please, Danna."

"What do you want me to talk about?"

"Anything." Deidara yawned. "Just talk."

Sasori sighed. He was not much of a talker to begin with, and in the current state of tiredness without anything to say it would be a challenge.

"You once asked me why I'm a pirate."

"Really?" The blond's voice was weary. "When?"

"Back on Madara's ship."

"I'm surprised you remember."

"I've had a lot of time for reminiscing."

Deidara did not respond to that. He waited for the other to proceed.

"Truth is, it's the only way I know how to live. My parents died when I was young and I was left to fend for myself. Life in the orphanage wasn't too pleasant and unless you wanted to lose all strength and get picked on, you needed to steal, either food or money.

"I find it a lot more peaceful out on the sea, though. I first joined a crew in my teens and it all just escalated from there. Living on the streets had provided me with a reasonable set of skills to survive and that's just how it went."

There was a moment of silence.

"Still awake?" Sasori asked after receiving no response.

"I am," Deidara murmured quietly. "Just a bit baffled. You rarely speak of your past."

"I didn't know what else to talk about," Sasori admitted.

"That's alright," Deidara said tiredly, nuzzling his nose against the other's skin. "I like it when you share things like that with me."

"That's awfully lovey-dovey coming from the blond that claims to hate my guts," Sasori teased. When Deidara stayed quiet after that, his face and tone turned serious again and he let out a sigh.

"Deidara," he said.

"Hm?" came the barely audible reply, indicating that the blond was very close to falling asleep.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For leaving you back then," Sasori finished. He took a long breath as he gazed up at the ceiling, his hand still caressing the blond as the latter lay in silence. Sasori could feel him rising and falling on his chest as he breathed.

He closed his eyes and his hand stopped on the blond. Saying what he had begun to say required a lot more preparation, which Sasori had had none of. He had pondered over it for a long time, but still had not found a better alternative for what he had done. The only thing he did know was that he did not want Deidara to hold it against him. And he wanted him to know that, for which he might have not gotten a better time for.

His lack of skills in putting his thoughts into words had to do for the moment and he just hoped Deidara would not misinterpret them.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said. The pin-drop silence weighed on him heavily as he tried to figure out what else he should say. "I still don't know what I could have done differently, though. You may not believe me, but I tried my best. It came off as selfish, which I've never claimed not to be, but if I had believed that you would've been better off somewhere else than with your family, I would've done that for you."

Saying those words and looking deeper into the reasons behind his actions than he had ever had to made the hairs on Sasori's body bristle and he briefly wondered if Deidara could have been feeling something similar.

"Seeing you like this now, though…" Sasori paused. He was not certain he should have brought up Deidara's current state, but now that he had said it, he could not take it back anymore. "It makes me realize the gravity of human nature that I still don't grasp. And I realize that if I had known what you really felt back then, I probably would have done a lot of things differently. I never wanted you to suffer."

Then there was silence.

Sasori had run out of things to say and he could not help but wonder whether Deidara had finally fallen asleep. The darkness was devious like that - it could hide a lot behind its curtain. But Sasori doubted the blond would have fallen asleep on a confession like that. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in silence, waiting for a response.

"I believe you," Deidara whispered finally.

Sasori's eyes widened. He had expected some kind of counter-arguments since he did not think his explanation could have been considered exhaustive enough to cover all the details, but none of it ever came. Maybe the blond was just too tired.

"I am sorry, too," Deidara added.

"What for?" Sasori asked.

"For torching your ship."

Sasori chuckled. "That indeed wasn't completely necessary," he agreed. "But I've experienced both lives now - without the ship and without you. And I finally know which one I'd choose."

In the darkness, so no-one could see, Deidara's lips stretched into a smile.

"A pirate's wealth is determined by his treasure, not ship."

Deidara frowned in confusion and lifted his head off the redhead's chest to look at him. "I thought your ship _was_ your treasure?"

Sasori smiled as he ran a finger down his cheek and tucked away a strand of hair behind his ear in a tenderly fashion. His eyes held an affectionate look as he gazed at the blond and noticed the other's gaze fall on his lips momentarily. His did the same and without a reply he pulled Deidara in closer, connecting their lips.

The kiss held tender passion that not even their half-asleep states of mind could hinder. Their lips moved together slowly and Sasori's tongue invaded Deidara's mouth as his hand crawled behind his head and pulled him closer.

Deidara rose up more without breaking the kiss until his entire torso was hovering over the redhead's. He felt Sasori's hand slide down his back onto his ass and grope it, the fingers eventually hooking onto the hem of his pants.

"I'm too tired, Danna," Deidara whispered against Sasori's lips, his warm breath brushing against the other's face as his one hand caressed his cheek. He rested his forehead against the older male's and let his eye fall closed. "I could just fall asleep in this position," he said.

"Maybe you should," Sasori suggested, pecking his lips once more.

"I want to wait till sunrise," Deidara said. "I don't have that many nightmares with the sun up."

"We could go out and wait for it on the deck. The warm wind would keep us awake."

Deidara opened his eye and looked at Sasori.

"I can do that. You can go to sleep, I don't want to keep you awake."

Sasori snorted. "I'm fine, brat."

An unmistakable _tsk _sound left Deidara's mouth as he sat up and gave the redhead a cold look with his arms crossed.

"I'm the Captain of this ship. Are you sure you're in the position to act so superior?"

Sasori chuckled and flipped them over, pinning the blond to the bed. It was not as though Deidara had resisted, he was too tired to fight back and having the redhead hover over him had always filled him with a sense of content and satisfaction, which made it harder to resist than the force Sasori actually used on him.

Sasori traced up the blond's neck slowly with the tip of his nose. His hands were firm on Deidara's arms and held them in place against the bed so that the latter could not move. The utter control Sasori had over him sent shivers down Deidara's body and he let out a low whine as Sasori's lips found the side of his neck.

"I'd say my position is favorable enough," replied the redhead.

"I could kick your ass, if I wasn't so tired," Deidara growled. "You're just taking advantage of my exhaustion."

The corner of Sasori's mouth twitched upwards. "Once a pirate, always a pirate," he said. "Now how about that sunrise?"

Deidara sulked. "If I'm such a brat, you can carry me there."

Sasori did not object and the only possible comments on the younger male's sudden childish behaviour could be seen in the redhead's half-smile, which reflected amusement. He grabbed his jacket from the floor and lifted Deidara, wrapped in a blanket, into his arms.

He carried the blond onto the empty deck illuminated by bright moonlight falling down on them from the dark sky. A light breeze ruffled Deidara's hair and he breathed it in hungrily; the refreshment cleared his mind and washed away the daze, making it easier to keep his eye open.

"The sky is so beautiful," he murmured, gazing up at the brilliant nature's ceiling with patterns of stars so marvellous and breathtaking he could have kept staring at it for the rest of his life.

Sasori sat down by the bulwark and set the blond onto his lap. It was warm outside, but Deidara still his nose in the blanket and snuggled closer to the redhead. Sasori's arms were wrapped around him tightly, providing comfort Deidara could not have found anywhere else.

"East is that way," Sasori said, pointing in front of them. "It shouldn't be too long now."

"Thank you, Danna," Deidara murmured as he rested his head against the redhead's chest. They sat there in silence for a while, Sasori occasionally fingering a strand of the blond hair, and wrapping it around his finger.

They watched the night sky wordlessly together, listening to the waves down below on the sea and feeling the occasional swaying of the ship. Those moments were perfect and precious to Deidara, but even they could not win against the mighty opponent that was sleep.

By the time the lower half of the sky started turning pink, Deidara's eye had already closed. Sasori listened to the other's quiet breathing as he let his fingers caress his hair gently. The outdoors seemed to do the blond good; his face was peaceful showing no signs of torment from his dreams.

Sasori watched the sun rise alone.

Until he wasn't the only one awake on the deck anymore.

A figure emerged from one of the hallways and paced towards him. Even without her eccentric blue hair, Konan would have been easily recognizable by her elegant gait that differed from that of other sailors like day differed from night. Even in the company of slobbery male pirates and poor manners she refused to let go of the few feminine traits she could still hold on to.

She did not utter a greeting as she approached and came to a stop by the bulwark, leaning against it and admiring the view of dawn with complete disregard towards the couple on the ground.

While Sasori would have been more comfortable in solitude with her at a greater distance and out of sight, he was not going to heed her more than was being paid to him.

They stayed in tranquility with lack of attention towards each other's presence until Konan broke the silence.

"You're walking on thin ice here, Sasori," she said with passiveness that was missing all qualities of a warning or a threat, yet the real meaning did not get lost on the redhead.

He gave the woman a sharp glance. "Is that of any concern to you?"

Konan ignored the question. "We're walking into Kikuchi's lair here. You're gonna have to tell him sooner or later, if you don't want him finding out from someone else."

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "What're you even doing here, Konan?" he countered. "You've been out of the waters ever since Yahiko's death. I'd be a fool to think this is even remotely related to Deidara."

The glare Konan sent him was deadly. Apparently he had hit bull's eye in getting the woman out of her comfort zone.

"Mind your own business, Akasuna," she snapped.

"Gladly," Sasori responded. "I suggest you, too, follow your advice."

Konan straightened up. "I might as well do so," she said dismissively. "But mark that secrets are much like water - if it can't invade through cracks in the boat, it'll thrust upon you from above as rain. And even if you conceal all holes in the walls, the moist will still come through. He will find out."

With those words she turned around and left the deck.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


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